The Afghan economy collapses

 Rajan Laad:

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The Afghan economy has always been heavily dependent on foreign aid.  Following the suspension of aid from various countries and the halting of funds from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the economy has collapsed.  Banks that were closed after the Taliban takeover may have reopened, but there is very little cash available.

With no cash in the market, there is a sharp rise in the prices of day-to-day necessities.  The price of food for items such as a loaf of bread has skyrocketed and has pushed it beyond buying capacity of regular Afghans.

People are left with no option but to sell their possessions, such as valuable carpets or TV sets or crockery and cutlery in the hope to exchange them for cash to feed themselves and their families.  The situation is so desperate that there are numerous sellers but almost no buyers.

Many businesses have closed following their proprietors fleeing to other countries.  Most salaried employees haven't been paid for months.

Many construction projects that were launched prior to the Taliban takeover have come to a grinding half owing to the lack of funds.  Hence, only a handful of the construction workers get picked up for work, while the rest are left to fend for themselves. 

Women who once worked and supported their families are no longer permitted to work by the new Taliban government, hence their families have no choice but to survive on the mercies of members of the Taliban government and neighbors.

The result is millions living in abject poverty — a serious problem of hunger that affects almost 23 million Afghans.  The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 93% of Afghans are not getting enough food to eat, which includes the desperation of parents struggling to feed their children.

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There have been water shortages and severe drought which is the country's second in just four years.  The country's already fragile health system is on the brink of collapse since the Taliban takeover.  There has also been a shortage of medicine amid reports that cold chain medical storage has been compromised.

The country is about to experience one of its harsh winters.  With hundreds of Afghans living in open-air tents, this is likely to further devastate those already suffering from the food crisis. 

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 The Taliban are primitive religious bigots who mutilate people who disagree with their craziness.  Expecting them to run an economy was always a stretch.  That the Biden administration thought they were more civilized now was one more mistake they made in dealing with the country.