by Gibran Peshimam

Kabul: The Taliban announced a complete ban on the use of foreign currency in Afghanistan on Tuesday.

"The economic situation and national interests in the country require that all Afghans use Afghan currency in their every trade," the group said in a statement shared with journalists by one of their spokesmen.

The use of U.S. dollars is widespread in Afghanistan's markets, while border areas use the currency of neighbouring countries such as Pakistan for trade.