RASC News Agency: Sources have revealed that Taliban forces conducted a violent crackdown in Sarai Shahzada, assaulting several street currency vendors and detaining six currency dealers amidst ongoing fluctuations in exchange rates. Eyewitness accounts confirm that on Saturday evening January 13, Taliban personnel, accompanied by Sarai Shahzada security guards, forcefully expelled street vendors from the auction area. The vendors were subjected to verbal abuse, insults, and physical assaults before being removed from the premises.
Among those detained are Janbaz Khan, Waheed Khwosti, and Amanullah, who remain in Taliban custody as of today. Reports also indicate that the Taliban have installed surveillance cameras in the auction area to closely monitor street trading activities. This is not an isolated incident; the Taliban have previously detained and assaulted currency dealers in similar operations. The Taliban-controlled central bank had earlier imposed a ban on street trading of foreign currency in the markets. However, sources report that this prohibition was lifted after a month, allowing trading to resume until yesterday’s crackdown.
The past week has seen a sharp rise in the value of the U.S. dollar against the Kabul rupee. On Saturday, the exchange rate reached 74 rupees per U.S. dollar. By this morning, the selling price of the dollar was recorded at 73.85 rupees, while the buying price stood at 73.95 rupees. Just one week ago, the dollar’s value was 70 rupees, underscoring the volatility of Afghanistan’s currency. This surge in exchange rates occurs against the backdrop of Afghanistan’s worsening economic collapse. Poverty and unemployment continue to escalate, while the Taliban regime has yet to implement any substantial measures to alleviate the country’s deepening financial crisis.
