CNN's Clarissa Ward on Afghanistan's looming economic recession: 'We're talking about starvation and hunger'

A "massive and severe economic recession" is looming for Afghanistan in the wake of the United States' withdrawal and the Taliban takeover, CNN's Clarissa Ward reported from Kabul on Wednesday. "We're not just talking about purse strings being tight," Ward said. "We're talking about starvation and hunger, potentially."

The reason is that "there is no cash coming into" the country and the Afghan central bank has effectively been frozen, Ward explained. Afghans can only take out about $200 per week, prices for basic goods are skyrocketing, and people are not getting paid.

At the moment overseas funding for Afghanistan remains locked because of the international community's concern about the Taliban's legitimacy and their human rights violations, but Ward notes that some fierce Taliban critics in Afghanistan would still like to see the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund unfreeze that money. "Whatever their feelings are about the Taliban, at this stage this is becoming a serious humanitarian crisis in the making," Ward said. Watch the full report below.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up