Over $1.3 Billion Exports from Afghanistan, Claim Taliban Officials

With the fall of the previous government, the Taliban had dismissed hundreds of professional staff members of the Ministry of Finance.

The dismissed employees of the Ministry of Finance protested in front of the ministry in Kabul on June 11, 2022, and said that their salaries haven’t been paid yet. Protesters also said that prices of food items have increased in the market due to inflation, and they face a dire economic situation.

It seems that the Taliban have hired their own members in this ministry after firing employees of the Ministry of Finance in a collective move.

Griffiths remarks came at the UN Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and he stated that humanitarians have stayed and delivered in Afghanistan in the year since the Taliban takeover. A $4.4 billion Humanitarian Response Plan for Afghanistan currently has a gap of $3.14 billion, he said.

UN Humanitarian Coordinator Martin Griffiths, who briefed ambassadors, reported on the ongoing hardships and uncertainty facing Afghans, nearly half of whom require aid relief to survive. “Afghanistan’s crisis is a humanitarian crisis, but it’s not only that. It’s an economic crisis. It’s a climate crisis. It’s a hunger crisis. It’s a financial crisis. But it’s not a hopeless crisis,” he said.

Griffiths, while stating that engaging with de facto authorities is “labour intensive”, explained that large-scale development assistance has been halted for a year in a country that was already facing severe levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, which have only deteriorated since then.

He added that no confidence in the domestic banking sector which has sparked a liquidity crisis, has affected aid delivery.

Griffiths also referred to the closure of school for girls and violation of women rights, adding, “In the 21st century, we should not need to explain why girls’ education and women’s empowerment are important to them, to their communities, to their countries, and indeed to all of us.”

The UN relief chief stressed that preserving basic service delivery alongside humanitarian assistance “remains the only way to prevent a catastrophe even greater than what we have seen these many months.”

Meanwhile, Markus Potzel, the Secretary-General’s Acting Special Representative for Afghanistan, reported on the UN’s ongoing engagement with the de facto authorities, as well as efforts towards promoting inclusive governance, rights and freedoms. He said the Taliban have been “ambiguous” as to the extent to which they want to engage, predicated on being in accordance with their interpretation of Sharia law.

Earlier media reports confirmed that an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion hit a Taliban vehicle in Tanbana village.

Meanwhile, reports from Khaja Bahauddin district of Takhar province confirmed that new "armed nomads" have been transferred to the district. The Taliban have recently ordered the residents of two villages, "Lala Guzar" and "Katakjar", in the district to evacuate these areas.

Local residents said that the Taliban is relocating families from southern provinces and Pakistani tribal agencies to Khaja Bahauddin district.

The Taliban have not yet reacted to the reports.

Taliban officials said that Qatar and UAE have supported them for the repair of the equipment.

Taliban officials at the ministry of transportation and aviation of the group also added that in the past year, more than 3,000 flights have taken place inside and outside Afghanistan, through which the group generated a revenue of 4.5 billion Afghanis.

Taliban officials in the Ministry of Transport also added that discussions are underway with several international companies to manage the airspace of Afghanistan.

Nabil stressed that the Taliban defense minister had not been consulted regarding the operation, or has been pretending that the group is independent.

Nabil reacted on Twitter to the latest comments of the Taliban's acting defense minister Mullah Yaqoob in Kabul on Sunday, who said that American drones enter Afghanistan soil from Pakistan. He had asked Pakistan not to allow its airspace to be used against Afghanistan.

However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan quickly reacted to Yaqoob’s statements and called it "very unfortunate" and said that it "defies the norms of responsible diplomatic conduct".

Pakistan Foreign Ministry urged the Taliban to ensure the fulfillment of international commitments made by Afghanistan and not to allow the use of its territory for terrorism against any country.

Nabil refered to the start of Pakistan's military operations in Afghanistan when authorities in Islamabad had announced the failure of the peace talks between Pakistan and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Since August 15, 2021 and the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, American and Pakistani military have launched attacks in parts of Afghanistan several times.

In one of these cases, air strikes by Pakistani forces on Khost and Kunar provinces in eastern Afghanistan left "at least 47 people" dead. It has been said that all these victims were civilians.