New era for Afghanistan starts with long queues, rising prices

FILE PHOTO: People march in protest near the Central Kabul Bank, in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 28, 2021, in this still image obtained by Reuters from a social media video.

(Reuters) - As Kabul began a new era of Taliban rule, long queues outside banks and soaring prices in the bazaars underlined the everyday worries now facing its population after the spectacular seizure of the city two weeks ago.

For the Taliban, growing economic hardship is emerging as their biggest challenge, with a sinking currency and rising inflation adding misery to a country where more than a third of the population lives on less than $2 a day.