Taliban Dissolve Government Departments Over Budget Crisis

The Taliban have dissolved Afghanistan’s Human Rights Commission, and four other government departments, citing a budget crisis. The cuts were announced on Monday, days after the Taliban announced their first annual national budget. Afghanistan’s budget deficit for this year is $501 million. At the time of the announcement, Taliban officials did not say how it would bridge the gap between the deficit and the country’s new budget. The other departments closed by the Taliban include the High Council for National Reconciliation, the National Security Council, and the commission for overseeing the implementation of the Afghan constitution. The departments are “not considered necessary,” deputy government spokesman Inamullah Samangani told AFP, adding that other departments carry out the same work as the closed offices. The Taliban took over in August 2021, when the United States and the international community withdrew troops from the country after two decades.