By Fidel Rahmati in The Khaama Press Online, October 16, 2023
According to The Economist, Afghanistan’s return to Taliban rule, devastating natural disasters, and cessation of Western aid
have pushed the country into poverty, prompting Afghans to view their nation as a “curse.”
The Economist has reported that in the latest incident, a devastating earthquake in western Herat claimed the lives of over
2,000 people and destroyed dozens of villages.
Mohammad Amin, one of the relatives of the victims of this incident, has informed The Economist that “the roofs of the houses
of six relatives collapsed nearby, and all of them lost their lives.”
Mohammad Amin added that he was outside the house during the earthquake and could only watch helplessly.
The spokesperson for the Taliban administration’s Natural Disaster Management has announced a death toll 4,000 and numerous
injuries.
One of the district elders told The Economist, “The authorities of the Taliban administration sent bulldozers with
inexperienced drivers who ended up crashing and killing several people while demolishing.”
The magazine continues to emphasize that earthquakes, landslides, and floods that occurred last year, resulting in the loss of
thousands of lives, highlight the fragile state of the Taliban government.
According to a recent World Bank study, 60% of last year’s budget for the caretaker government (Taliban administration) was
allocated to the Ministries of Defense, Interior, and Intelligence.
However, relief organizations are working to address this shortfall, while the United Nations has collected one-third of the
requested $3.2 billion for Afghanistan this year.
Perhaps the recent earthquake has worsened the situation in these areas.
https://www.khaama.com/afghanistans-descent-into-poverty-the-economist-report/
