Afghanistan’s Economy Hostage to Aftermath of U.S. Combat

Afghanistan’s economy remains hostage to the country’s politics and security after more than a dozen years of American intervention.

Mahmood Hanifi sees it every day in his tile shop in Kandahar city. Sales, he said, have fallen by half in two years because customers are postponing home remodeling projects until after Afghanistan’s April 5 presidential election and the departure of most international troops by the end of next year.