Taliban have suspended the payment of salaries to all public employees until further notice, three sources said, including one official from the Taliban-run Ministry of Finance.
The sources said the order applies to all ministries and government departments. Taliban officials have not publicly explained the reason for the decision and did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
While the Taliban have previously delayed salary payments for civil servants, the sources said this marks the first time payments have been formally suspended without a specified date for resumption.
Earlier this year, the Taliban approved salary payments after a delay of about three months, covering the solar months of Hamal and Sawr (March 21 to May 21). At the time, sources in the Taliban-run finance ministry said salary expenditures in Kabul were set at 118 million afghanis ($1.7 million), while payments for public employees in Kandahar amounted to about 226 million afghanis ($3.4 million), nearly double the Kabul figure.
Some government employees said the latest suspension comes at a particularly difficult time, as many families face financial strain during the winter months.
“Even though our salaries and benefits are limited, receiving them allows us to pay rent and cover basic household needs,” one civil servant said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
Afghanistan has faced a prolonged economic crisis since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with public sector workers among those hardest hit by budget shortfalls, aid cuts and restrictions on banking and international funding.
