Demonstrators in Afghanistan’s capital Saturday condemned President Joe Biden’s order liberating up $3.5 billion in Afghan property held within the US for households of America’s 9/11 victims — saying the cash belongs to Afghans.
Protesters who gathered outdoors Kabul’s grand Eid Gah mosque requested America for monetary compensation for the tens of hundreds of Afghans killed over the last 20 years of struggle in Afghanistan.
Biden’s order, signed Friday, allocates one other $3.5 billion in Afghan property for humanitarian support to a belief fund to be managed by the UN to supply support to Afghans. The nation’s economic system is teetering on the point of collapse after worldwide cash stopped coming into Afghanistan with the arrival in mid-August of the Taliban.
Torek Farhadi, a monetary adviser to Afghanistan’s former US-backed authorities, questioned the UN managing Afghan Central Bank reserves. He stated these funds usually are not meant for humanitarian support however “to back up the country’s currency, help in monetary policy and manage the country’s balance of payment”.
He additionally questioned the legality of Biden’s order.
“These reserves belong to the people of Afghanistan, not the Taliban…Biden’s decision is one-sided and does not match with international law,” stated Farhadi. “No other country on Earth makes such confiscation decisions about another country’s reserves.” Afghanistan has about $9 billion in property abroad, together with the $7 billion within the United States. The relaxation is generally in Germany, the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland.
“What about our Afghan people who gave many sacrifices and thousands of losses of lives?” requested the demonstration’s organizer, Abdul Rahman, a civil society activist.
Rahman stated he deliberate to organise extra demonstrations throughout the capital to protest Biden’s order. “This money belongs to the people of Afghanistan, not to the United States. This is the right of Afghans,” he stated.
Misspelt placards in English accused the United States of being merciless and of stealing the cash of Afghans.
Taliban political spokesman Mohammad Naeem accused the Biden administration in a tweet late Friday of exhibiting “the lowest level of humanity…of a country and a nation”.
Afghan protesters maintain placards and shout slogans towards the US throughout a protest condemning President Joe Biden’s choice, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday. (AP)
Biden’s Friday order generated a social media storm with Twitter saying #USA_stole_money_from_afghan was trending amongst Afghans. Tweets repeatedly identified that the 9/11 hijackers have been Saudi nationals, not Afghans.
Obaidullah Baheer, a lecturer on the American University in Afghanistan and a social activist, tweeted: “Let’s remind the world that #AfghansDidntCommit911 and that #BidenStealingAfgMoney!” Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was dropped at Afghanistan by Afghan warlords after being expelled from Sudan in 1996. Those identical warlords would later ally with the US-led coalition to oust the Taliban in 2001.
However, it was Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar who refused at hand over bin Laden to the US after the devastating 9/11 assaults that killed hundreds.
Still, some analysts took to Twitter to query Biden’s order.
Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Programme on the US-based Wilson Centre, referred to as Biden’s order to divert $3.5 billion away from Afghanistan “heartless”.
“It’s great that $3.5B in new humanitarian aid for Afghanistan has been freed up. But to take another $3.5B that belongs to the Afghan people, and divert it elsewhere–that is misguided and quite frankly heartless,” he tweeted.
Kugelman additionally stated the opposition to Biden’s order crossed Afghanistan’s extensive political divide.
“I can’t remember the last time so many people of such vastly different worldviews were so united over a US policy decision on Afghanistan,” he tweeted.
