What does Taliban mean? English meaning of Afghanistan militant group’s name explained, and how it started The word Taliban means ‘students’ or ‘seekers’ in Pashto, one of the two official languages of Afghanistan By David HughesAugust 23, 2021 3:58 pm(Updated August 23, 2021 4:13 pm)The Taliban’s rapid surge to power in Afghanistan has sparked alarm … Read more
Afghanistan’s central bank is believed to hold more than $9 billion in assets overseas as part of Afghanistan’s foreign exchange reserves. Countries use foreign exchange reserves to facilitate foreign trade and back up the value of their own currency, among other purposes. More than $7 billion of the $9 billion in total assets are held … Read more
With the central bank in limbo and banks short of cash, the question is: Does Afghanistan have money? The current situation has affected nearly every aspect of Afghan life, from the lives of farmers and teachers to those suffering from severe malnutrition. Moreover, with no access to capital, importers and exporters have no way to … Read more
The terrain and geography of Afghanistan are logistical nightmares. First, the country is landlocked, so the only way to Afghanistan is through neighboring countries or by air. The second, and probably the biggest, obstacle is the high peaks of the Hindu Kush mountain range, which cover 75% of the total area of Afghanistan. These mountains … Read more
The Taliban may have a large arsenal of military weapons, but that arsenal is far smaller than the reported $88 billion. That said, the Taliban still have enough military equipment to be able to maintain some of this arsenal. In addition, it is unlikely that the Taliban will be able to use all of its … Read more
Many Afghans are wondering, “Who is funding the Taliban now?” This question has many possible answers. There are several sources of revenue for the Taliban, including drug revenues and mining operations. Some sources cite the support of the Pakistani intelligence services, which helped the Taliban return to power. These sources could not have accomplished this … Read more
The official legal marriage age in Afghanistan is 16 for girls and 18 for boys. Most marriages in Afghanistan’s segregated society are arranged by parents and family elders between consenting adults. But traditions involving bride price, dowries, and using marriages to settle disputes results have turned many arranged marriages into forced unions. Every year thousands … Read more
Are there modern cities in Afghanistan? Although the history of cities on Afghan territory has been long and rich, modern Afghanistan is nevertheless among the least urbanized countries in Asia. The portion of the population living in cities was estimated at 10-11 percent of the settled population in 1352 Š./1973 (Grötzbach, 1979, p. 10) … Read more
Wazir Akbar Khan (وزیر اکبر خان) is a neighborhood in northern Kabul, Afghanistan, forming part of District 10. It is named after the 19th century Afghan Emir Wazir Akbar Khan. It is one of the wealthiest parts of Kabul. Many foreign embassies were located there before the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, including the … Read more
The situation in Afghanistan remains highly volatile. There continues to be an ongoing and very high threat of terrorist attacks throughout Afghanistan, including at Kabul International Airport and land border crossings. We continue to advise against all travel to and within Afghanistan. The U.S. Government issued a security alert on October 11 warning citizens to … Read more