Aid resumption to Afghanistan unlikely: World Bank

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WASHINGTON – World Bank president David Malpass indicated yesterday that the institution is unlikely to resume direct aid to Afghanistan, after suspending financing at the end of August when the Taliban seized power. 

“I would not envision us operating inside given the full breakdown” of the economy, he said in a conversation at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

“One of the challenges is the payment system,” he said, noting that “there’s not the ability to have money actually flow, given what the current government is doing.”

The Washington-based development lender paused aid in August amid concerns about the security situation and women’s rights following the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country, saying it is “closely monitoring and assessing the situation”.

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