Kabul, November 19: The majority of Afghans believe that poverty and unemployment are the main roots of the current conflict in their country, a new survey says.
According to a new survey conducted by the London-based charity Oxfam International and a group of Afghan organizations on some 700 Afghan men and women, 70 percent of people questioned viewed poverty and unemployment as the main drivers of the conflict.
Forty eight percent of respondents blamed the government’s weakness and corruption as the second factor in the long abiding conflict. The Taliban came third, followed by the presence of international forces.
The Oxfam report titled “the Cost of War” depicts a grim picture of Afghanistan after 30 years of conflict and occupation.
According to the survey, over 15 percent of Afghans are considering immigration. During the years of the war, three quarters of Afghans have been forced to leave their homes.
Oxfam officials have told the international community that Afghanistan demands more than a military solution.
They have said that support should be directed toward agriculture, better infrastructure and schools. The Oxfam study has also found that ordinary Afghans want peace and an end to the war.
—–Agencies