How are things now?
ire. Afghanistan’s economy rapidly collapsed following the Taliban takeover a year ago, with output in the fourth quarter of 2021 a third lower than a year before, according to World Bank estimates. Overall, GDP is expected to decline by around 34% by the end of 2022 compared with 2020, the last full year of the US-backed republic. Currently, the UN says 90% of Afghans are short of food and half are facing acute hunger. Thousands of once-thriving small businesses have closed, and inflation for basic household goods is running at 52% year-on-year. The
