Preparing New Cabinet As US Evacuation Nears End, Says Taliban

There is mounting frustration in Kabul at the severe economic hardship caused by a plummeting currency and rising food prices, with banks shuttered.

The Taliban said on Saturday they were preparing a new cabinet as the US evacuation nears its end and they expected that sharp currency falls and economic turmoil following their takeover of Kabul two weeks ago would subside. Zabihullah Mujahid, the movement's main spokesman, made the comments to Reuters as the US military winds down its mission to evacuate US citizens and vulnerable Afghans and withdraw troops from Kabul airport ahead of the August 31 deadline set by President Joe Biden. Mujahid condemned an overnight U.S. drone strike against ISIS terrorists following Thursday's suicide attack near the airport as a "clear attack on Afghan territory". But he appealed to the United States and other Western nations to maintain diplomatic relations after their withdrawal, which he expected would be completed "very soon".