Afghans still counting costs of US intervention

Rebuilding the country

The Taliban has played an active role in trying to rebuild the country after the US troops left. In mid-August, the Afghan caretaker government's acting minister for industry and commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, said that more than $7 billion had been invested in Afghanistan over the past three years, of which $500 million was invested in the industry sector, Afghan media outlet Tolonews reported.

Urging Afghan and foreign companies to invest in the country, the official said the administration will spare no efforts to encourage more companies to invest and increase investment in all sectors including agriculture, mining and power.

The caretaker government has also vowed to crack down on criminal elements to ensure law and order in the war-ravaged nation.

According to the Global Terrorism Index, terror deaths fell by 519 in Afghanistan in 2023, an 81 percent improvement. This was the first year since 2019 that Afghanistan has not been the country most impacted by terrorism.

Mohammadajan, a street vendor in Kabul, said three years ago, when he heard that the Taliban was going to enter the city, he saw through the window that people on the street were running home in a panic.

But he soon discovered that things did not develop in the bad direction and Afghanistan finally ushered in three years of relative peace.

"The security situation here has improved 100 percent and the number of beggars and thieves on the street has also gradually decreased," Mohammadajan told Xinhua News Agency. "Our shop is open until 12 midnight and no one bothers us."

Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, acting prime minister in Afghanistan's caretaker government, called for efforts to maintain peace and security and to rebuild the war-torn country, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office in mid-August.

The current opportunity provided by return to peace should be used to strengthen the administration, promote good governance, stabilize security and rebuild the country, he said.

After returning home from the UN-convened third Doha conference on Afghanistan in July, a spokesperson for the caretaker government, Zabihullah Mujahid, said that Kabul wants to have positive engagement with all countries around the world.

"The Islamic Emirate wants positive and trustable engagements with all the countries of the world," Mujahid told the media.

Akram from Islamabad called on the world to keep engaging with Afghanistan's government, as only in this way can the Afghan people "hope to overcome the country's current challenges and move toward a stable and prosperous future".

Xinhua contributed to this story.

vivienxu@chinadailyapac.com