Amu: More than two years after the Taliban’s 2022 ban on narcotics, poppy cultivation levels in Afghanistan remain historically low, but opium continues to be grown, cultivated, and sold in some areas, according to a new report from the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). SIGAR also noted that while Afghanistan has seen
Tolo News: US Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) has introduced a bill to prevent the Islamic Emirate from accessing American funds through the United Nations. According to this bill, US aid sent via the UN will be subject to the US State Department’s guarantee that Washington’s cash assistance will not be included in UN humanitarian
Amu: Public employees in Taliban-controlled institutions say they have not received their overdue salaries for nearly two months, compounding financial hardships amid economic uncertainty. With the suspension of U.S. aid, Afghanistan’s currency has fluctuated sharply, with the exchange rate exceeding 80 Afghanis per U.S. dollar in recent days. Meanwhile, public employees are raising concerns over
Amu: In an effort to stabilize the Afghan currency, Taliban on Wednesday issued a six-point decree banning the transfer of more than $5,000 through airports and more than $500 through land borders. The decree warns that violators will be arrested and imprisoned. The move follows a sharp decline in the value of the afghani against
Ayaz Gul VOA News January 20, 2025 Ayaz Gul — President-elect Donald Trump says that future financial assistance to Afghanistan will be contingent upon the return of U.S. military equipment by the Taliban leaders currently in power. Trump’s remarks at a Sunday rally in Washington on the eve of his January 20 inauguration have heightened uncertainty
8am: At the same time, some human traffickers in Nimruz say that Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban Supreme Leader, issued a decree banning human trafficking, but local Taliban officials continue to take money from traffickers. According to them, some Taliban commanders are involved in human trafficking and make huge sums of money through this business. Click
Ariana: Local officials in Panjshir have announced the discovery of over 1,600 emerald mines in the province, with extraction currently underway at 600 sites. Over the past year, the extraction of emeralds from 600 mines in Panjshir has yielded 100,000 carats, valued at approximately $6.9 million. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: Retirees voiced growing concerns over the Taliban’s failure to pay pensions, leaving many unable to afford basic necessities such as food or heating during a harsh winter. Rabia, a former teacher from Farah province, is among thousands of pensioners who have gone unpaid for more than three years. After dedicating nearly 35 years to
Afghanistan International: Amid growing calls for the cutting U.S. financial aid to Afghanistan under Taliban rule, the Afghanistan currency has once again depreciated against the U.S. dollar. On Sunday, one U.S. dollar was traded at 74 Afghanis in Afghanistan’s currency markets. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, in a press conference on Tuesday, January 7, condemned the
After a year of unprecedented trade and breaking ground on high-profile mining projects in 2024, there’s new momentum for Beijing’s growing role in Afghanistan and deepening ties with the Taliban. But can the hard-line group finally calm China’s longstanding security concerns and unleash a wave of much-needed investment?