On Tuesday, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told the Senate Banking Committee that he sees no situation where the Taliban would have access to the $9 billion in Afghan central bank reserves, which are primarily held by the US Federal Reserve.
The Biden administration froze the reserves after the US-backed Afghan government collapsed. Adeyemo also said it is “essential” to maintain sanctions on the Taliban while also getting humanitarian aid to the Afghan people.
“We believe that it’s essential that we maintain our sanctions against the Taliban but at the same time find ways for legitimate humanitarian assistance to get to the Afghan people,” he said.
“Our goal is to make sure that we are implementing our sanctions regime against the Taliban and the Haqqani network, but at the same time allowing for the permissible flow of humanitarian assistance into the country,” Adeyemo added.
The Haqqani network has been designated by the US as a terrorist organization since 2012, and sanctions remain on its members in the new Afghan government. The Taliban has called this a violation of the Doha agreement that was signed in February 2020. Under the deal, the US agreed to remove sanctions on the Taliban after intra-Afghan talks began.
The US maintains sanctions and withholds Afghan funds as the country is facing major food and cash shortages. While the US claims it wants to help the Afghan people, history shows sanctions only hurt the civilian population of the target country and do little to change the government.
I suppose it is only fair since the funds originated from American Tax Payers. However if indeed all the talk about how Afghanistan might melt down into a tribal state and be a host for insurgencies, bankrupting the Taliban is a good first step.
Seems to me that since the funds were gifted to the Afghanistan people best use of them is in support of those folks.
It won’t bankrupt the Taliban – they’ve survived 20+ years of warfare by the US. It’ll make them more self reliant and determined, and a closer ally to China, Iran and Russia.
It seems whenever the U.S. invades, it steals all the money. It’s more of a smash & grab op than any liberation that seems to grow worse & worse with every new grab. Are the founders spinning in their graves yet…..?????
Of course, the USA has to rule the world even as it loses its wars. its destructive power never ceases and the deaths of people in a country it has already spent twenty years or more “democratizing ” and “freeing” do not worry its leaders at all.
Disregard the stuff about women’s rights, etc., as well as the phantom “humanitarian aid”; the likely crux is an Afghan reluctance to submit to US vassalage … in the war with China.
I guess Afghanistan could confiscate the US embassy in Kabul as partial compensation.