(Text/Shi Xiantao)
In 2021, the situation in Afghanistan suddenly changed, on August 15, the Taliban entered the capital Kabul; on August 30, the last C-17 transport aircraft of the US military took off from Kabul International Airport, drawing a very "scrawled" end to the "longest war in history" of the United States.
For several months in power, the Afghan Interim Government has worked to strengthen political and economic reconstruction and alleviate the humanitarian crisis. For most Afghans, there is nothing more to expect from the new year than to develop the economy and improve their lives.
More than 90 percent of Afghans don't have enough to eat
The U.S. invasion and its long-term military presence shattered Afghanistan's mountains and rivers and left the people unsustainable. When U.S. troops withdrew, what was left was a devastated country and a suffering people.
People wait to receive aid in Hibirgan, the capital of Al-Juzcan province in northern Afghanistan, on January 5. (Xinhua News Agency)
A Kabul woman interviewed by the reporter a few days ago, who did not want to be named, said that in recent months, she and her husband have lost their jobs due to changes in the situation. "Life is hard, with nearly 5,000 afghan afghanis (about $50) a month in rent alone," she said. I have 4 children and not only do we not have enough to eat, but we also can't afford fuel for heating. In this cold winter, I can only dress my children as much as possible at home to keep warm. ”
Safar Mohammed, a taxi driver in kabul city, told reporters: "The Americans have invaded Afghanistan with great arrogance, occupied the country for 20 years, and what they have left Afghanistan with is economic depression and chaos... Some families have to sell their children and daughters in order to survive, and the poverty of Afghans is evident. ”
The Taliban formed an interim government on September 7 last year and have repeatedly told the outside world that they will concentrate on rebuilding the country, and Afghanistan is willing to maintain friendly relations and economic ties with all countries, but it will not be easy for the Taliban to take power. After the Taliban came to power, the United States did not relax the sanctions against the Taliban in the slightest, freezing more than $9 billion of overseas assets of the Central Bank of Afghanistan, resulting in heavy pressure on the Afghan financial and banking payment systems, shortage of foreign exchange, and rising prices.
At present, the most urgent task facing the Afghan Interim Administration is to alleviate the grave humanitarian crisis. According to a recent survey released by the World Food Programme, 95% of Afghans do not have enough to eat. According to a report released by the agency in October last year, 22.8 million Afghans, or more than half of the country's population, have faced severe food security problems since November, and 3.2 million children under the age of 5 have suffered severe malnutrition. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees recently said that there are still 3.5 million displaced people in Afghanistan, and in addition to facing severe hunger, many of them do not have warm shelter and winter supplies.
Mohammed Lamin, a Kabul citizen, told reporters: "For me, 2021 is a very difficult year for the economy, I come out early and return late every day, and I can only earn 600 Afghan afghanis (about 6 US dollars) a day, which is not enough to support my family." After the Taliban came to power, the security situation improved, but the economy was very depressed and prices soared. I hope that Afghanistan will usher in a new year of peace, stability and smooth economic development. ”
Social governance tests the ability to govern
Because the United States and the West cut off aid, many hospitals in Afghanistan that run on aid funds are difficult to maintain, and the lack of medical care is a common problem faced by most medical institutions. After the Taliban came to power, the government no longer released data on COVID-19 cases, but according to hospitals, the number of COVID-19 cases in Afghanistan has increased significantly recently, but due to the lack of testing reagents, drugs and oxygen in hospitals, the number of patients who can be admitted is relatively limited. After the fall of the former government, most of the coronavirus testing centers across Afghanistan have been closed, and there are now no conditions for reopening due to a lack of medical supplies, coupled with the fact that many medical personnel have not received salaries for months.
Although the Taliban have ended the Afghan civil war since they came to power and eliminated the mass casualties caused by the war, Afghanistan still faces some problems in terms of security and social governance. On the security front, attacks by terrorist groups such as the Islamic State continue to be frequent, with an average of one bombing attack every two to three days in Kabul alone.
In terms of social governance, despite the Taliban's special decree on the protection of women's rights and interests in early December last year, women's employment and education situation remains low. Most female employees working in government agencies are still barred from working in their workplaces, but the Taliban say women have the right to work and will gradually solve their work problems. At present, girls' schools in most provinces are still not open, and the Taliban have promised to open this year.
Frozen three feet, not a day of cold, many of the problems facing Afghanistan have deep causes, and it is obviously unrealistic to expect the Taliban to solve them in just a few months.
On the other hand, as the Taliban regime gradually stabilizes, the perception of the Taliban's grassroots armed personnel by many Kabul people is also changing, and the fear that they had when they first met them gradually disappeared. Some Taliban grassroots armed personnel are also willing to communicate with the media, and once when reporters were interviewing people on the streets about the rise in prices, Taliban armed member Hashmatula took the initiative to tell reporters that he was willing to accept interviews and express his views.
China's charcoal in the snow has won praise
In the face of the severe humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, many countries, including China, have extended a helping hand. The reporter repeatedly attended the Chinese material distribution ceremony organized by the Afghan Ministry of Refugee Affairs. At the scene of the distribution of aid, refugee department officials showed reporters the distribution form, and The acting minister of Afghan affairs, Khalil Haqqani, repeatedly said that measures would be taken to distribute the aid to people who really needed it.
On January 10, a charter flight of Afghan pine nuts operated by Afghan Qam Air carried 45 tons of pine nuts at Kabul International Airport and then flew to Shanghai, China. This is the first pine nut charter flight from Afghanistan to China in 2022. (Photo by Sevrahman Safi)
The Afghan interim government officials and business people, cultural figures, ordinary people and other Afghan strata who the reporter came into contact with are very friendly to China. For example, in recent interviews with reporters, Mujahid, spokesman for the Afghan Interim Government, and Khalil Haqqani, acting minister of Afghan Refugee Affairs, expressed their gratitude to China for its move and hoped to further develop friendly relations with China.
Most business people have expressed their willingness to strengthen economic ties with China. A few days ago, Shafikula Atay, head of the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, told reporters: "China, as the most populous country in the world, has great market prospects. At present, China and Arab countries have good economic and trade relations, and we plan to export more Afghan specialties to China in the future. As a leading country in the fields of industry and science and technology, China can also invest in Afghanistan, and we welcome this. ”
When the reporter was recently interviewed at the subsidiary of Erzmale Gayanwalsson in Kabul, Ali Zadran, the general manager of the company, told reporters that China is the largest export destination for Afghan pine nuts, and after exporting pine nuts to China, his company has made more profits, and the income of workers is also bullish, and he hopes that China's business partners can come to Afghanistan to invest and create more jobs for the Afghan people.
Source: Reference News Network