Taliban Lobbies US to Reconsider Decision on Frozen Assets

The Taliban government has urged the US to reconsider its decision to freeze the Afghan central bank’s assets and to refrain from further “provocative actions.”

Earlier, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order authorizing the release of $7 billion in frozen Afghan funds.

The funds will be divided between possible compensation for victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and humanitarian aid to the country, according to the order.

“If the US does not change its position and continues to engage in provocative behavior, the Islamic Emirate will be forced to reconsider its policy toward the country,” the Afghan rulers said in an official statement.

The rulers also demanded that the US unconditionally release the frozen assets.

Afghans were outraged by Biden’s decision, which former President Hamid Karzai described as an “atrocity” against Afghan citizens.

Hundreds of people protested in Kabul on Tuesday to condemn Biden’s decision, according to local media.

Afghan politicians and academics have demanded that the frozen funds not be used to compensate 9/11 victims because no Afghan was involved in the attacks and that no money from the country is channeled as aid.

They want the funds to remain unaltered in order to maintain the stability of the Afghan currency and the country’s financial system as a whole.

Afghanistan currently has approximately nine billion dollars in frozen assets, including seven billion dollars in the United States.

The remainder of the funds is primarily held in Germany, the United Arab Emirates, and Switzerland.