The White House: “Spend the other half on humanitarian aid in Afghanistan in a way that it does not fall into the hands of the Taliban.”
Today, Friday, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order allowing the United States to dispose of $7 billion in funds from the Afghan Central Bank, nearly half of which is allocated to compensation claims by the families of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
A senior White House official indicated, during a press conference, that “it is very important that we get 3.5 billion dollars and make sure that it is used for the benefit of the Afghan people, and on the other hand, that the families of victims of terrorism can make their voices heard in the US federal judiciary.” And spend the other half on humanitarian aid in Afghanistan in a way that it does not fall into the hands of the Taliban, according to the White House.
The official acknowledged that the situation was legally complicated, noting that Friday’s announcement was just the beginning of a procedure that could last several months.
The total reserves of the Central Bank of Afghanistan at the end of last April amounted to 9.4 billion dollars, according to the International Monetary Fund. This amount, which was deposited before the Taliban returned to power last August, is kept abroad, and the bulk of it is in the United States.
White House officials explained that the reserves of the Central Bank of Afghanistan are partly due to the international aid that the country has received, especially from the United States.