In Afghanistan, the acting deputy prime minister for economic affairs said in a statement on Sunday (February 19) that the Taliban administration is going to convert former foreign military bases into special economic zones for businesses.
As quoted by news agency Reuters, acting deputy PM Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said in the statement that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce has decided after careful consideration that the administration should take control of the remaining military bases of the foreign forces.
As per the report, he added a pilot plan would begin to convert bases in the capital Kabul and in the northern Balkh province.
Last year in December, the acting commerce minister had told the news agency that his ministry was working on the plan for former American bases.
It had mentioned that and would submit it to both the economic committee led by Mullah Baradar and to the cabinet for approval.
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Ever since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021 and foreign troops withdrew after 20 years of war, the economy of the nation is in a dire state. Global aid agencies have warned of a severe humanitarian crisis.
The crisis deepened when major donors had halted their support for the country by freezing funds in immediate response to the takeover. Afghanistan also faced challenges of drought caused by global warming and natural disaster such as an earthquake.
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