Afghanistan Faces Cash Shortage Under Taliban

Frozen foreign exchanges and a paralysed state budget in Afghanistan threatens cash shortages for currency exchangers in Kabul

"All our cash is at the banks," but "the banks cannot pay the cash back to money exchangers on time," said Mohammad Tahir Qaderi, a member of money exchangers' union.

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 shake-up.

The United Nations development agency announced last week Afghanistan is teetering on the brink of "universal poverty" which could become a reality in the middle of next year unless urgent efforts are made to bolster local communities and their economies.

It said the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has put 20 years of steady economic gains at risk.

The U.N.’s World Food Program says Afghans are growing increasingly short of cash to buy food, the majority of which - like wheat flour - is imported.

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