A recent visit to Afghanistan showed a country facing an economic crisis. The banking system has seized up. Credit cards aren't working. Afghans abroad struggle to send money to relatives back home.
Under the direction of the Taliban, which seized power one year ago, many government agencies are functioning and also collecting taxes to pay government workers; but times are hard for many. Women sit outside bakeries, hoping someone will buy them bread. Many people, especially women, have lost their jobs. When an NPR team drove through slow traffic in Kabul, children followed our vehicle asking for money; once a girl climbed on the running board and refused to get off.
