Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Estimated Four-Fifths of Afghanistan’s Budget Has Disappeared in Wake of US Retreat

Estimated Four-Fifths of Afghanistan’s Budget Has Disappeared in Wake of US Retreat

The Taliban* marched into Kabul on 15 August, taking control of the Afghan capital two weeks before the last of US troops were set to leave. The speed of the advance surprised Washington, which has spent over $2 trillion and nearly 20 years trying to build up a functioning Afghan government and military.

As much 80 percent of Afghanistan’s budget has vanished now that the Taliban has taken over and Kabul’s western patrons have cut funding, data provided by US government officials and agencies suggests.

According to a recent report by the United Nations, prior to the Afghan government’s dramatic collapse and the Taliban takeover, the Islamist group collected between $300 million and $1.6 billion from areas it controlled in a series of taxation schemes on crop harvests and wealth (10 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively), as well as mining, trade, and narcotics. For a country of over 38 million, such sums are paltry when it comes to being able to feed the population, pay salaries to officials, and fund various development projects.

According to International Rescue Committee data, up to 18.4 million Afghans required humanitarian assistance even before Kabul’s collapse, with that figure expected to be much higher now.

Now that it has taken over most of Afghanistan’s major cities, including Kabul, and captured hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of military equipment and other supplies left behind by evacuating western forces, the Taliban is expected to dramatically expand its tax base and assets. However, these gains are heavily offset by the withdrawal of western support, ranging from US direct financial assistance to access to foreign credit and investment by international agencies.

Last week, for example, the World Bank, which had spent an estimated $5.3 billion on development projects in Afghanistan over the past two decades, pulled all financial assistance to the country until further notice.

Separately, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has blocked Kabul’s access to financial resources, including a $440 million package of special drawing rights from the IMF’s $650 billion SDR fund.

Last week, the US Treasury froze Afghani government assets held in American banks, with up to $7 billion in Afghanistan Central Bank funds (i.e. over 77 percent of the $9 billion total held by the bank in institutions abroad) situated in the US Federal Reserve system. The Treasury justified the asset freeze on the basis of the Taliban’s classification as a terrorist group under US laws.

Washington’s annual $3 billion subsidy to Afghanistan’s military has also been jettisoned now that the Afghan security forces have disintegrated and the Taliban are in charge. The $3 billion in security aid was estimated to account for about 15 percent of the country’s entire gross domestic product, with US taxpayer dollars spent to pay the salaries of the Afghan security forces.

Earlier this year, US special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction John Sopko told Reuters that as much as 80 percent of Afghanistan’s budget consisted of funds provided by the US and its allies, with the vast majority of that aid now expected to be frozen.

In addition to the US, Germany, another of Afghanistan’s top benefactors, has put a hold on its plans to provide $500 million in development aid to Afghanistan, while the European Union froze some $1.4 billion in planned assistance expected to be doled out over four years. Earlier this week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen indicated that the EU’s aid package to Afghanistan may be revived if the Taliban government gives “solid guarantees” that the conditions for receiving such aid are met.

On top of the IMF, World Bank, and state-based cuts in funding, other means of assistance – such as remittances to Afghans from relatives living abroad – have also been affected by the Afghan government’s collapse, with Western Union cutting off money transfer services to the country last week.

Screengrab of Western Union's Afghanistan page.


Opportunities for China


The withdrawal of Western assistance does not necessarily mean a fiscal collapse for Afghanistan, with Chinese officials hinting that China’s companies are prepared to “deliver genuine investment and technical support” to Afghanistan in the wake of the US withdrawal, and that only the threat of serious Western sanctions could endanger such plans.

On Monday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson indicated that Beijing “always pursues a friendly policy toward the entire Afghan people” and “stands ready” to continue to play an active role in the country’s reconstruction following the West’s withdrawal.

In a related development, Iran, one of Afghanistan’s largest trade partners prior to the Taliban takeover, resumed fuel exports to its eastern neighbour following a request from the Taliban-led government, notwithstanding decades of traditional animosity with the Sunni militant group.

China is also reported to be interested in exploiting the up to $3 trillion in mineral wealth trapped under Afghanistan’s soil, including vast gold deposits and stocks of lithium to be used in batteries for electric vehicles, and other rare earth metals.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
×