Women gather outside UN office in Kabul to demand release of Afghan assets

Dozens of female protesters gathered outside the United Nations’ office in Kabul on Friday, demanding the international community put pressure on the United States to release frozen Afghan assets.

Chanting anti-US slogans, protesters slammed US President Joe Biden’s plan to use half of the $7 billion in frozen assets to compensate victims of the 9/11 attacks.

“They should release our money. Our children are hungry. They are collecting plastics on the streets,” a protester said.

Khatera Darweshi Saadat, a civil society activist, said: “We want the international community to pressure the US to release frozen Afghan assets. The US has committed many atrocities over the past 20 years in Afghanistan.”

Biden signed an executive order last month to take control of $7 billion in Afghan funds currently held in New York. Based on the order, half of the funds would be used for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan and the other half to compensate victims of the 9/11 attacks.

The move was condemned by some governments and international rights organizations.

Last month, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) said that the US had agreed not to give the funds to charity organizations.