Food prices are increasing violently in Afghanistan as imports from Pakistan decline steeply due to a U.S. dollar shortage which prevents importers making payments.
Food exports from Pakistan to Afghanistan have reduced to a trickle because of the Taliban government is limiting weekly bank withdrawals to $200 — about 20,000 Afghanis.
Only cement exports paid for before the Taliban returned to Kabul are crossing the border Pakistan’s northwest border post with Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s withdrawal caps are meant to prevent a currency flight while the U.S. continues to block access to Afghanistan’s dollar reserves of around $9.5 billion in American banks.