US to split $7bn in frozen Afghan assets between humanitarian aid, 9/11 victims

[Major]

United States President Joe Biden has signed an executive order creating the possibility of splitting $7bn in frozen Afghan funds held in the US, potentially allotting half for humanitarian aid to the country while keeping the other half available for possible seizure by victims of the September 11 attacks.

The executive order signed on Friday said the administration “will seek to facilitate access to $3.5 billion” of the Afghan assets currently held by the Federal Reserve of New York “for the benefit of the Afghan people and for Afghanistan’s future”.

KEEP READING
list of 3 items
list 1 of 3
UN chief calls on Taliban to uphold women’s rights
list 2 of 3
Qatar reaches deal with Taliban to resume evacuations: Report
list 3 of 3
Humanitarian aid on agenda as Taliban officials land in Geneva
end of list
However, it said the allocation of those funds would be “pending a judicial decision”. The White House also referenced legal claims by families of 9/11 victims who have said that they are entitled to the money following previous default rulings against the Taliban and other groups named in earlier lawsuits.

The Biden executive order said that even if the pending judgement allows $3.5bn to go to the people of Afghanistan, another $3.5bn would stay in the US and remain “subject to ongoing litigation by US victims of terrorism”.


In a statement, the White House said the order is “designed to provide a path for the funds to reach the people of Afghanistan, while keeping them out of the hands of the Taliban and malicious actors”.


The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 prompted governments and international institutions to swiftly freeze Afghan Central Bank assets abroad, totalling about $10bn. About $7bn of that was held in the US.

The Taliban has repeatedly called on the US and other governments and institutions to release the funds, saying they were needed to stabilise Afghanistan’s ravaged economy and prevent a humanitarian crisis.

The Taliban lashed out at the latest US move.


“The theft and seizure of money held/frozen by the United States of the Afghan people represents the lowest level of human and moral decay of a country and a nation,” Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem said Friday on Twitter.

The US does not recognise the Taliban as the legitimate government in Afghanistan and has designated the group a “terrorist organisation”. Rights groups have also called on the US to release the funds through humanitarian channels that largely bypass the Taliban.

A senior US administration official said it will take months to unfreeze funds for aid to Afghanistan because of the continuing lawsuits, stressing that the money – regardless of the amount – would not be able to address Afghanistan’s immediate humanitarian crisis.

“Because we have to go through a judicial process here, it is going to be at least a number of months before we can move any of this money, right? So this money isn’t going to be available over the next couple of months regardless,” the official told reporters early on Friday.


Friday’s executive order came as the US government faced a court deadline to state its position on pending attempts by 9/11 families to seize the Afghan funds.


At least one group of families has argued that they are entitled to the funds based on a 2012 ruling that awarded them monetary damages in a case that named Osama bin Laden, the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and Iran, among other defendants.

Other groups of victims’ families have argued that they are also entitled to the funds based on default rulings, although those cases never progressed to a final ruling on damages.

Prior to the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan’s government was about 75 percent dependent on foreign aid. With that support cut off, the dire humanitarian situation in the country has spiralled.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/11/us-biden-to-split-frozen-afghan-funds-between-9-11-families

 

[Major]

This is a ridiculous decision. The money belongs to the people of Afghanistan.

9/11 was done by AL Qaeda who were not even Afghanis

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Seems like the US don't consider Afghan people as human beings. Most of us assumed this to be the case already, but it is depressing to see it laid out so brazenly.

 

[Manunited18]

Pathetic decision by a pathetic so called democracy.

 

[Major]

Pathetic decision by a pathetic so called democracy.

you do know that the money won't be given just like that. It is because of the democracy there this case will go to the judicial process.

 

[MenInG]

Britain said on Tuesday it would co-host an international aid conference with the United Nations next month to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, where poverty and hunger have spiralled since the Taliban took power last year.

The virtual pledging conference will aim to help the United Nations raise $4.4 billion for Afghanistan, the largest amount it has ever requested for a single country.

Most foreign aid was cut off after the Taliban toppled the Western-backed government in the summer. The United Nations estimates 98% of Afghans are not eating enough and hospitals and schools cannot afford to pay staff.

"The scale of need is unparalleled, and consequences of inaction will be devastating," Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.

"The UK is determined to lead the global effort. We will bring international allies together to raise vital aid to deliver food, shelter and health services, protect women and girls and support stability in the region."

A combination of the loss of foreign aid, a severe drought, and a currency crisis have left Afghanistan's economy on the brink of collapse with food prices rising rapidly and causing widespread hunger.

The donor conference comes as the international community continues to grapple with how to help Afghanistan without benefiting the country's Taliban rulers.

During its previous rule from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban banned women from leaving the house without a male relative and full face and head covering and girls from receiving education.

The Taliban initially promised to form a more inclusive government, but claims of summary executions and the curtailed the rights of women have been met with dismay by western governments.

 

[Hassaan HS]

China calls US splitting Afghan money ‘robbery’

China on Tuesday called the US decision to split Afghan reserves a “robbery” and urged Washington to return the money to Afghans.

The US stole money from Afghans, Hua Chunying, spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry, said on Twitter.

Hua reacted to the US President Joe Biden’s executive order last Friday splitting Afghanistan's central bank's $7 billion in assets, allocating half for humanitarian relief to the poverty-stricken country ravaged by 42 years of war, while keeping the other half available for compensation to victims of the 9/11 attacks.

“This is flagrant robbery and shameless moral decline. The US should immediately return the stolen money back to the Afghan people, and compensate people in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and more who died or suffered losses from the US military invasions,” Hua said.The interim government in Afghanistan condemned the move while many people in the war-torn country hit the streets against Biden’s decision.

“If the US does not deviate from its position and continues its provocative actions, the Islamic Emirate (Taliban) will also be forced to reconsider its policy towards the country,” the interim government’s spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.

“The Islamic Emirate strongly rejects Biden’s unjustified actions as a violation of the rights of all Afghans,” it added.

The spokesperson asserted that the 9/11 attacks “had nothing to do with Afghans”.

“Any tampering of the assets of the Afghan people under the pretext of 9/11 incident is a blatant abuse and injustice which is a clear violation of the agreement reached with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as well as an attempt to cover up the 20 years of its crimes committed in Afghanistan,” the statement said.

Urging Washington to unfreeze the wealth of Afghans “unconditionally”, the Afghan interim government asked the US to “refrain from any provocative actions that can lead to more mistrust”.

UN mission wants to see 'Afghan money with the Afghan people'

Meanwhile, the UN mission in Afghanistan on Tuesday said “some very real progress” has been made with “concrete and meaningful assistance” to Afghans during the humanitarian crisis caused by economic meltdown in the country.

“We are working to help secure further support for the people of Afghanistan, said the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in a statement on twitter.

“(The) UNAMA continues its longstanding call for ways to be found for the country’s reserves to be made available to support the Afghan people at the earliest time. We want to see as much money, Afghan money, as possible back in the Afghan economy and with the Afghan people,” the UN mission said.It, however, emphasised building a society “where authorities respect their human rights.”

“This will benefit the people of Afghanistan and the broader region,” the statement added.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2343639/china-calls-us-splitting-afghan-money-robbery

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Nation of Thieves and Barbarians. This is what they do; kill, loot and plunder.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Seizure for 911 victim families. lol

20 years later, the Yanks still need to loot for the victims families? Why do they still need money?

The sooner this disgusting imperialist nation loses all power the better for the world.

 

[daytrader]

Judge blocks 9/11 victims' claim to Afghan assets

Victims of the 9/11 attacks are not entitled to seize $3.5bn (£2.9bn) in assets belonging to Afghanistan's central bank, a US judge has ruled.

Lawyers pursuing the compensation argued these funds could satisfy court judgments they had obtained against Afghanistan's ruling Taliban.

At the time of the attacks in 2001, the Taliban had allowed al-Qaeda militants to operate from Afghanistan.

The suicide plane attacks on America claimed 2,977 lives.

Judge George Daniels said he was "constitutionally restrained" from approving access to the funds, which are frozen in the US, as this would amount to a ruling that the Taliban were Afghanistan's legitimate government.

He noted that the Biden administration did not recognise the Taliban, which meant US courts did not have the power to do so either.

"The judgment creditors are entitled to collect on their default judgments and be made whole for the worst terrorist attack in our nation's history, but they cannot do so with the funds of the central bank of Afghanistan," Judge Daniels wrote in his 30-page judgement.

"The Taliban, not the former Islamic Republic of Afghanistan or the Afghan people, must pay for the Taliban's liability in the 9/11 attacks," he added.

The Taliban were removed from power by a US-led military coalition in 2001, but retook control of Afghanistan in 2021 after Western forces withdrew from the country.

...
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64727394