Taliban administration launches new round of beggar collection in Kabul

A new phase of the beggar collection campaign began in Kabul on Monday, an action the Taliban administration says is part of its ongoing programme in the capital.

Sheikh Abdul Rahman Munir, deputy minister for counternarcotics at the Taliban-run Interior Ministry, said that since the launch of the programme, about 110,000 beggars have been collected so far. According to him, 35,000 of them have been identified as deserving assistance, while the others have been registered as professional beggars.

The Taliban administration has so far provided no further details on how the situation of those deemed eligible for help will be handled, or what will happen to those classified as professional beggars.

Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, has in recent years faced rising poverty and unemployment, and begging in parts of the city has become one of the most visible signs of the economic crisis.