Taliban live a luxurious life while Afghan citizens live in poverty

After the USA has stopped sending financial aid to Afghanistan, the Taliban have become more nervous and are making contracts with several companies to substitute U.S. help with money made by selling Afghanistan's natural resources on discount.

The question arises, whether Afghans inside Afghanistan benefit from this move. The clear answer is no, they won’t. The only group that will benefit is the Taliban, and then mainly the Taliban leaders. The average young Taliban fighter won’t benefit from that move at all, as those natural resources won’t bring that much money to both feed the average Afghan and finance Taliban leaders’ extravagant lives.

It’s not that Taliban leaders even care about the average Afghan; Taliban leaders are as corrupt as many other politicians. They even sell out Afghanistan’s last hotels to foreign companies to fill their pockets, according to an AP article from 1 February 2025: “Meanwhile, authorities in Afghanistan on Saturday clarified the circumstances behind their takeover of the country’s only luxury hotel. The General Directorate of State-Owned Corporations said an international hotel brand, Serena, had signed an agreement in 2003 with the Tourism Promotion Services Company for Afghanistan. This contract was terminated by the Emirates Hotel Company last December. The hotel had continued its operations as usual since then.”

They even sell Afghanistan’s wildlife to the highest bidder lacking any ethics and morals, namely Arab princes from the Gulf countries according to reports: "These hunters, reportedly from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain, have been spotted in Kandahar, the deserts between Helmand and Uruzgan, and parts of Farah province. According to sources, they are targeting migratory birds that use these regions as a winter habitat. A source close to the hunting parties told Amu TV that in addition to hunting birds, some of the sheikhs have also captured desert wildlife, including certain species of sand eels, which they transport abroad."

Gulf Arabs with Afghan birds

Instead of investing or distributing the money, Taliban leaders are looting Afghanistan’s revenue and spend them on their own luxurious lifestyle, like buying brand new cars: "Some sources confirmed on 3 February 2025, that the Taliban leader has gifted new cars to about 50 of his commanders and close people. According to the sources, these cars were purchased from Dubai and transferred to Afghanistan."

A brand new car arrives for Taliban leaders from Dubai