Why is the White House stealing $7bn from Afghans? | Moustafa Bayoumi
GuardianFeb 16, 2022
Negotiations between the US and the Taliban have reportedly made progress regarding the release of billions of dollars from the Afghan central bank reserves held abroad into a trust fund.
Significant differences still remain, though, including the Taliban's refusal to replace the bank's top political appointees, one of whom is under US sanctions, as are several Taliban leaders.
The money over which these negotiations are taking place isn't America's. All of it belongs to Afghan citizens, and the White House has unethically held it hostage. Concerning the $3.5B for 9/11 victims, Afghan citizens aren't responsible for that either and let's not forget about the thousands of innocents killed by the US military. The hypocrisy here is astounding.
The US is extremely cautious in dealing with the Taliban. The goal of releasing these funds must be to help struggling Afghans, not support Taliban-affiliated terrorist groups. The US must ensure that funding will be allocated properly - this is a critical prerequisite.
There's a 25% chance that the US will recognise the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.