Afghans seeking travel papers crowd passport office
Crowds of people gathered outside Afghanistan's Kabul passport office on Sunday morning, desperate to get travel documents.
Taliban authorities began issuing passports to citizens again earlier last week....
following months of delays that hampered efforts of those trying to flee the country, after the Islamist group seized control in August.
Taliban security officials tried to keep order as applicants became frustrated with the chaos.
This man said passport office officials announced they would distribute some 25,000 passports to the people.
He started queuing for his at 4:00 am, and said there has been a lack of order and discipline.
The Taliban's interior ministry spokesman said last week that those thousands of applicants had reached the final stage of paying for passports, and that roughly 100,000 applications were pending.
Poverty and hunger have worsened since the Islamist movement took over Afghanistan.
The United Nations also says half a million people have been displaced in recent months.
Adding that the number will only grow if health services, schools and the economy break down.
