(24 Aug 2021) As people try to return to their normal everyday lives in the Logar province of Afghanistan, economic and social challenges are continuing to cripple thousands of people living in the area.
The Taliban captured all of Logar province, just south of Kabul, on August 15.
But governmental offices, schools, and universities are still closed.
One local, Ehsanullah Muhtasham, pleaded for the Taliban to bring back local politicians, businessmen and teachers to try and address the problem.
Despite their dominant military blitz, the Taliban lack access to billions of dollars from their central bank and the International Monetary Fund that would keep the country running during a turbulent shakeup.
Those funds are largely controlled by the U.S. and international institutions, a possible leverage point as tense evacuations proceed from the airport in the capital of Kabul.
When the Taliban last ran Afghanistan two decades ago, the average Afghan survived on less than a dollar a day.
Per capita gross domestic product has increased nearly three-fold during the war, according to the World Bank.
Afghanistan gained mobile phones, Coca-Cola and Airbnb listings — all of which need access to global economic institutions.
The war effort also left the country highly dependent on trade with imports of $8 billion annually, almost 10 times more than what was being exported.
The Taliban still have access to revenue streams that sustained the insurgency, but that won't be enough for a centralized government that can assert fuller control on the country.
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