War-torn Afghanistan exports first ever soft drink consignment to US

In a first, war-torn Afghanistan led by Taliban have sent a consignment of locally produced soft drinks to United States, interim regime spokesperson Zabihulllah Mujahid said on his official Twitter.

He shared the pictures of the consignment on the micro-blogging site saying the pomegranate soft drinks were produced in factory in the war-torn country’s Herat province.

No further details were provided about the first export consignment by the interim’s rulers.

In March, the Afghan government’s economic affairs department said that Afghan exports reached $1.9 billion this year and increased by 63% compared to last year.

“Our biggest import was linen textiles from different countries, like China and Pakistan, and our greatest exports are coal, dry fruit, and carpets,” Abdul Salam Javad, a spokerperson for the ministry quoted by ToloNews as saying.

Moreover, the United Nations earlier in April said the number of Afghans in poverty nearly doubled to 34 million as the nation was racked by the collapse of the US-backed government and the Taliban takeover

Vast foreign subsidies were halted and aid programmes dramatically cut back after the US-backed republic fell in 2021 as many countries refused to deal with the Taliban authorities in Kabul.

Those NGOs still providing vital help were dealt a further blow in December last year by a Taliban government order barring Afghan women from working for them.

The curb was extended this month to the UN's Afghan women employees and the organisation said it faces an "appalling choice" over whether to continue its aid schemes.