- Title: Kandahar businessman welcomes Taliban government
- Date: 12th September 2021
- Summary: KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN (SEPTEMBER 12, 2021) (REUTERS) VEHICLE TRAFFIC VARIOUS OF ARMED MEN STOPPING TRAFFIC VEHICLE TRAFFIC (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) KANDAHAR BUSINESSMAN, SARDAR BARAAT, SAYING: "I welcome the Taliban government. By the grace of Allah, businesses are beginning to flourish. All the markets that were closed, have been opened. Trading centres are opening. Businessmen who met the Taliban are very happy with their talks, and they are saying that the grievances that they had with the former government have been resolved, and they are very satisfied." MOVING CAR SHOT AROUND KANDAHAR BUILDING WITH WHITE FLAG WAVING TAXIS DRIVING VARIOUS OF MOVING CAR SHOTS AROUND KANDAHAR
- Embargoed: 26th September 2021 19:58
- Keywords: Afghanistan Joe Biden Kabul Kandahar Taliban U.S. troop withdrawal
- Location: KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN
- City: KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN
- Country: Afghanistan
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001EUEWRBB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Businesses in Kandahar are welcoming the new Taliban government, said one leading businessman from the region on Sunday (September 12).
"Businesses are beginning to flourish. All the markets that were closed, have been opened," said Sardar Baraat.
"Businessmen who met the Taliban are very happy with their talks, and they are saying that the grievances that they had with the former government have been resolved," he added.
The Taliban last month seized power 20 years after they were ousted by a U.S.-led invasion for refusing to hand over al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Much of the Afghan central bank's $10 billion in assets are parked overseas, where they are considered a key instrument for the West to pressure the Taliban. The U.S. Treasury Department said it is not easing Taliban sanctions or loosening curbs on the Islamist group's access to the global financial system.
The International Monetary Fund has also blocked the Taliban from accessing some $440 million in new emergency reserves.
The United Nations warned on Thursday (September 9) that the freezing of billions of dollars in Afghan assets to keep them out of Taliban hands would inevitably spark "a severe economic downturn" and could push millions more Afghans into poverty and hunger. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
