MONITORING (SW) – In its latest report, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said on Friday.
It said though the Afghan forces were in control of all provincial capitals as well as the national capital Kabul, but the overall trend was clearly unfavorable to the Afghan government, which could face an existential crisis if it isn’t addressed and reversed.
It said from March to May 2021, the US forces in Afghanistan reported 10,383 Taliban attacks.
According to the figures, ANDSF reporting of Taliban attacks decreased this quarter due to the train, advise, and assist mission ending; the data ended altogether on May 31, 2021.
It adds that the Resolute Support reported 2,035 civilian casualties in April and May 2021, including 705 deaths and 1,330 injuries. This total is nearly as high as the three months from January through March 2021 (2,149 civilian casualties).
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It said Afghanistan’s economy remains highly dependent on imports, generating a severe trade deficit that is almost entirely financed through external aid.
In a report, it said Afghanistan’s main imports include petroleum, machinery and equipment, food items, and base metals and related articles.
It said Afghanistan imported goods totaling $7.33 billion while exporting only $975 million worth, according to WTO data, which produced a negative merchandise trade balance of $6.36 billion, equivalent to 30.1% of GDP in 2020, amid declining imports and exports (exports fell by 2% and imports by 5%), the negative trade balance narrowed to $5.1 billion, equivalent to 26.7% of GDP.
The trade deficit is in part caused by Afghanistan’s low manufacturing capacity and poor domestic infrastructure, which results in a narrow export base—largely agricultural products and carpets—to limited destination markets.
As per the revenue collection, it said this quarter, Afghanistan’s domestic revenues continued to rebound following a decline in the previous fiscal year due to the COVID-19-induced economic downturn.
ENDS
