Families sell belongings as Afghan economic crisis deepens under Taliban rule

(11 Aug 2023) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Kabul - 3 August 2023 1. Various of Kabul resident, Habib ur Rahman Rasouli, teaching his children 2. SOUNDBITE (Dari) Habib ur Rahman Rasouli, Kabul resident: “There has been no (sufficient) salary in the last two years. There is no other income, but I had some house items and sold them from time to time to solve my home (economic) problem. I have a sewing machine now and want to sell it to solve the (economic) problem.” 3. Close of Rasouli’s hands 4. SOUNDBITE (Dari) Habib ur Rahman Rasouli, Kabul resident: “Some of my friends help me from here and from abroad which is insufficient. This help is temporary and something I go to the labourers' chowk (platform connecting daily wage workers and construction companies). There is no work there as well, the economic situation not only for me but for everybody is getting worse.” 5. Rasouli’s daughter repeating her lessons 6. Various of Rasouli cleaning sewing machine 7. Various of Rasouli carrying sewing machine 8. Rasouli entering shop which buys used items 9. Shop owner checking sewing machine 10. Various of used items 11. Rasouli getting the money and handing over the sewing machine ASSOCIATED PRESS Kabul - 9 August 2023 12. Various of Kabul main money exchange market called Sara -i- Shahzada 13. Wide of Amin Jan Khosti, head of money exchange market, talking with people 14. SOUNDBITE (Pashto) Amin Jan Khosti, head of money exchange market: “In fact, it (banking issues) impacts people’s economy, impacts politics, impacts the banks, impacts Afghanistan's exports and imports and impacts everything.” 15. Businessmen in Khosti’s office 16. SOUNDBITE (Pashto) Amin Jan Khosti, head of money exchange market: “The banks are under sanction and the banks can not TT (telex transfers) freely to companies and foreigner countries and knowing the Afghanistan situation Sara -i- Shahzada is doing this task now. Our banks are weak, our business related banks, the national banks are also weak as well.” 17. Various of people at Sara -i- Shahzada money exchange market STORYLINE: The economic crisis has worsened in Afghanistan since 2021 when the Taliban took power. More people are struggling to find jobs and make a living, and some are selling their belongings to be able to get some money to buy food, water and basic things. Others rely on money that their relatives can send from abroad. Habib ur Rahman Rasouli, a government worker and father of five, said he earns the equivalent of 70 USD per month. He said the income was not enough and he had been forced to sell some personal items to make some extra money. "There has been no (sufficient) salary in the last two years," he said. "There is no other income, but I had some house items and sold them from time to time to solve my home (economic) problem." Afghanistan’s aid-dependent economy was already stumbling when the Taliban seized power on August 2021 amid the chaotic departure of U.S. and NATO troops after 20 years. The international community froze Afghanistan’s assets abroad and halted economic support, unwilling to work with the Taliban, given the brutality during their 1996-2001 rule and refusal to educate girls and allow women to work. At the same time, taking money out of the banks has been challenging. Afghans can only take a limited amount of money from their accounts once or twice per week, which makes the commerce and movement of cash more difficult not just for businessmen but for ordinary people. =========================================================== Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a564e99f7f994fa9adec96b5f47c8c7a

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