Three years after the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the country remains in the shadow of a 20-year war, grappling with economic collapse worsened by international sanctions.
In Kabul, the capital, lines of trucks await assignments, a stark reminder of the economic devastation left behind. Zubair, a truck driver, has been without work for over 40 days. While he survived the war, he now faces severe economic hardship in a nation left to rebuild on its own.
The U.S. exit on August 30, 2021, may have ended active warfare, but it did not end the suffering. The sanctions that followed have crippled Afghanistan’s economy, pushing the country to the brink. The war, which claimed over 174,000 Afghan lives and displaced nearly a third of the population, left Afghanistan's infrastructure in ruins, making recovery an uphill battle.
Despite a reduction in violence since the war ended, Afghanistan's economy is in dire straits. The peace that has emerged comes with the price of economic sanctions, forcing millions to struggle for survival.
The 20-year U.S. occupation of Afghanistan cost American taxpayers trillions, yet the country remains deeply scarred. The ongoing economic collapse highlights the waste of U.S. resources, as Afghanistan continues to suffer under the weight of sanctions and a legacy of devastation.
