US changes its mind about unfreezing $7 billion of Afghan central bank

The administration of US President Joe Biden decided not to unfreeze the assets of the Afghan central bank in the amount of $7 billion located on American soil after the fall of the pro-Western Afghan regime in August 2021 and frozen after the victory of the Taliban. Negotiations over these funds with the Taliban movement (recognized as terrorist and banned in Russia), which seized power in Afghanistan a year ago, have been suspended, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources.

This decision was made by the White House after the liquidation in Kabul of the leader of Al-Qaeda (the group was recognized as terrorist and banned in Russia) Ayman al-Zawahiri on July 31 by a drone strike. Shortly after this operation, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the Taliban, harboring terrorist leader al-Zawahiri, violated agreements with Washington that ended with the withdrawal of American troops from Afghan territory. Prior to this, in February, the White House allowed the possibility of using half of these frozen assets to help the Afghan population. The refusal to unfreeze the funds of the Central Bank of Afghanistan, the article notes, could reverse the first signs of progress in negotiations with the Taliban, jeopardize the possibility of the country’s economic recovery, and its population at risk of starvation.