Kabul [Afghanistan], February 20: The Taliban government announced plans to convert abandoned US military bases in Afghanistan into special economic zones for economic development.
"Following final discussion, (the Taliban government) decided that the Ministry of Industry and Trade will take over the military bases that once belonged to foreign forces with the intention of converting them into special economic zones." , RT news agency on February 18 quoted Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
The announcement came after Acting Commerce Minister Haji NooruddinAzizi previously said the Taliban government wanted to launch a "national self-sufficiency program" to promote the use of domestic products.
"We will support anything that can help us become self-sufficient," Azizi said.
International aid agencies have warned of the risk of a serious humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as the country's economy is struggling more than ever since the Taliban took over the government. power and foreign military forces withdrew after nearly 20 years of hostilities.
The Taliban faced little resistance from forces under President Ashraf Ghani's government when it took control of the capital Kabul on August 15, 2021.
The transfer of government resulted in the freezing of central bank assets abroad, as well as the embargo of the banking industry. Afghanistan is also heavily dependent on humanitarian aid.
To improve the economic situation, the Taliban government wants to promote trade and investment. But foreign investors are at risk after a series of attacks in the country.
In one case, in December last year an armed group opened fire at a hotel usually hosted by Chinese businessmen looking for business opportunities. The so-called Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper