KABUL: The Taliban warned that it would reconsider its policy towards the United States if President Joe Biden did not reverse his “unjustified” decision to return only half of Afghanistan’s $7 billion deposited on US soil.
The United States will free up half of the $7 billion in frozen Afghan central bank assets on US soil to help Afghans struggling with a humanitarian crisis and hold the rest to settle terrorism-related lawsuits against the Taliban.
“If the United States does not deviate from its position and continues its provocative actions, the Islamic Emirate will also be forced to reconsider its policy towards the country,” said a statement released by the Taliban spokesman. “The Islamic Emirate strongly rejects Biden’s unjustified actions as a violation of the rights of all Afghans,” it added.
Biden’s plan calls for half of the funds to remain in the United States subject to ongoing litigation by US victims of terrorism, including relatives of those who died in the Sept 11, 2001, terror attacks.
“The 9/11 attacks had nothing to do with Afghans,” the Taliban statement said. It added the United States will face “international blame” and damage its relations with Afghans if the decision was not reversed.
Separately, in an interview with Afghan state media, Mullah Yaqoob, acting Afghan defence minister and the son of Taliban founder Mullah Omar, also termed the decision “cruel”.
“No Afghan was involved in that incident (9/11) at all,” said Yaqoob, whose father was the Taliban’s supreme leader at the time of the attacks following which the US sent its military to Afghanistan.
The invasion started a 20-year war that ended only last year after the United States and other international militaries pulled out of Afghanistan, leaving the Taliban to take over once again.
