Thirty US states seek access to Afghan assets for 9/11 victims

The attorneys general of 30 US states have asked the US Supreme Court to review a case involving around $3.5 billion in frozen assets of Da Afghanistan Bank that victims and families of the September 11 attacks are seeking to use for compensation.

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office said in a statement on Monday that the states filed a brief with the Supreme Court in support of the victims and their families, who have obtained compensation judgments in US federal courts.

According to the office, after years of legal proceedings, the victims and their families have secured nearly $17 billion in court-ordered compensation.

However, the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that around $3.5 billion in assets belonging to Afghanistan’s central bank cannot be used to satisfy those compensation awards.

The assets were frozen by the U.S. Treasury Department on August 15, 2021, the day the Islamic Emirate entered Kabul.

The state attorneys general argue that US law allows the frozen assets to be used to satisfy court-ordered compensation.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said the victims and their families had pursued justice and compensation through the US legal system and should be able to access the money awarded to them by the courts.

This comes as the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly called for the release of Da Afghanistan Bank assets.