The US and Taliban are negotiating the release of part of the $9.5 billion in frozen Afghan government assets, report says
Petros Giannakouris/AP
- The US and Taliban are negotiating the release of Afghanistan's frozen billions, Reuters reported.
- $9.5 billion of Afghan govt. reserves was frozen over the Taliban takeover. Most of it is in the US.
- The talks focus on $3.5 billion that Biden said could be released earlier this year.
The US and the Taliban are negotiating the release of $3.5 billion in Afghanistan's reserves that were frozen when the Taliban retook control of the country, Reuters reported.
Three unnamed sources told Reuters that officials have exchanged proposals for how the release could be done.
But two of the sources said there are still big issues standing in the way of a deal, including the Taliban's wanting to keep top figures in the Afghan central bank in their roles despite one of them being under US sanctions.
The US froze Afghanistan's $9.5 billion in reserves — some which is held in New York City — after the Taliban took over in August 2021. The Taliban have repeatedly asked for it back, citing the country's economic crisis after the takeover.
Current negotiations are on $3.5 billion of that amount, Reuters reported. President Joe Biden signed an executive order in February to say that amount could be sent to Afghanistan as humanitarian aid.
Aid groups also called for Afghanistan's reserves to be given back, saying it would help ordinary Afghans buy food and fuel in the face of a humanitarian crisis.
A US source told Reuters the US proposed a system involving a trust fund, where deciding what money is given involves an international board. The US spoke to Switzerland and other parties, the source said.
But a Taliban government source told Reuters the group opposes the idea of a third party controlling its access to the money.
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