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US court to make final decision on use of Afghanistan’s frozen assets
The White House said Tuesday that a court will make the final decision on Afghanistan Central Bank’s assets that US President Joe Biden ordered be partly used to compensate the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki said that no funds can be transferred until the courts make a ruling.
Defending Biden’s decision, Psaki stated that the president was trying to pave the way for some of the funds to be used for humanitarian purposes in Afghanistan.
“What the president was trying to do was enable certain US-based assets belonging to Afghanistan’s central bank to be used to benefit the Afghan people,” said Psaki, adding “otherwise it would have been held — right? — and that money wouldn’t have been going.”
“And so, that’s why we saw — and he took a proactive step to facilitate access to $3.5 billion of those assets for the benefit of the Afghan people and Afghanistan’s future.”
“As you know, many US victims of terrorism, including the relatives of victims who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks have brought claims against the Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) and are pursuing these assets in federal court,” she said.
Psaki added that more than $3.5 billion in assets are going to remain in the United States and are subject to the ongoing litigation.
“What I think it’s important for people to know and understand is he took this proactive step to sign the executive order in an effort to try to provide some of this funding to the Afghan people,” she said.
Two people have been killed amid protests against a poppy eradication campaign in northeastern Badakhshan province, local officials said.
Authorities said counter-narcotics forces were deployed on Friday to Atan Jalo area of Argo district to destroy poppy fields. Clashes erupted after a number of farmers and residents reportedly attempted to block the operation.
Officials said a child was killed during Friday’s unrest, while another person died on Saturday as protests and tensions continued in the area.
According to local authorities, demonstrators also temporarily blocked the Kishm–Faizabad highway, disrupting traffic for several hours before it was reopened following coordinated efforts by security officials, religious scholars, and community elders.
Officials blamed “drug traffickers and criminal groups” for inciting the unrest and said security forces have since regained control of the area.
A high-ranking Uzbek delegation comprising government officials and private sector representatives from the Republic of Karakalpakstan arrived in Kabul on Saturday to discuss the expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Afghanistan.
The delegation is headed by Amanbay Orinbayev, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the delegation is expected to hold talks with Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, focusing on strengthening bilateral trade and economic relations.
The ministry said the visiting delegation will also participate in trade connectivity meetings and business-to-business sessions aimed at enhancing commercial cooperation between the two sides.
As part of the visit, the Uzbek delegation is also scheduled to travel to Balkh province, where members will attend additional trade meetings and inaugurate an exhibition showcasing Uzbekistan’s domestic products.
Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, has expressed concern over recent developments along the Durand Line, saying Pakistan has increased military and economic pressure on villages and residents living near the line.
In a statement, Karzai said the apparent purpose of these pressures is to push residents of Durand Line areas to seek help from Pakistani institutions for resolving security and other local issues.
He added that, amid this situation, some tribal elders from both sides of the Durand Line recently signed documents described as “peace agreements,” which were later officially welcomed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Karzai, these developments amount to an effort by Pakistan to legitimize the Durand Line and represent an action against Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
The former Afghan president also urged the relevant Afghan authorities to provide the public with a clear explanation regarding the recent agreements and developments along the Durand Line.
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