Taliban surge hits Afghan economy

Afghanistan’s economy may be headed towards a major crisis, with the country losing $33.5 million of revenue in the past month after the fall of seven Customs ports along the country’s borders to the Taliban. Over the past month, the Ashraf Ghani government has lost control over Islam Qala and six other land ports. This has crippled the government and led to a shrinking of Customs revenues. A total of $91 million in Customs revenue was collected by the government in June, but the amount fell to $57.5 million in July, according to an Afghanistan government official.