Financial Crime World

Afghanistan on the Brink: Economic Collapse, Humanitarian Crisis, and Rising Crime

As Afghanistan teeters on the edge of economic collapse and humanitarian catastrophe, reports are emerging of a surge in serious crime and concerns about civil unrest plaguing the population. The country is facing a Himalayan winter, already struggling with rising prices, vanishing cash, and unemployment.

The Devastating Reality

  • Families are reportedly selling their baby girls to raise money for food as poverty and hunger deepen.
  • Law and order breaks down further, with kidnappings and extortion becoming daily occurrences.
  • Sources in Kabul indicate that Taliban foot soldiers kill on contract to earn cash as they are not being paid.

The Crime Wave

  • Gangs roam the streets in Kabul, stopping, searching, and robbing people at random.
  • Armed men regularly stop cars and rob occupants.
  • Officials of the former government, intelligence service, and military have been kidnapped from their homes after applying for passports and providing biometric information.

Taliban’s Inability to Cope

  • The Taliban government, made up of former fighters with little experience governing, has proved unable to cope with the economic challenges or the deteriorating security situation.
  • The inability to tame the crime wave risks sparking civil unrest as the population reaches a breaking point.

The Future Looks Bleak

  • As winter sets in, the situation is expected to worsen.
  • Eviction is also going to be an issue as most people live in rented homes and can no longer afford to pay rent.
  • The Taliban leadership’s inability to deliver services, including security, as a government risks further exacerbating the crisis.

Expert Analysis

  • “The Taliban leadership can’t deliver services, including security, as a government because they are more focused on internal power struggles,” said Waliullah Rahmani, an Afghan analyst.
  • “That is why people have grown frustrated and this situation needs just a small spark to change to unrest.”