Afghan protesters maintain placards and shout slogans towards U.S. throughout a protest condemning President Joe Biden's choice, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022. (AP Picture/Hussein Malla)
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN --
Demonstrators in Afghanistan's capital on Saturday condemned President Joe Biden's order releasing up US$3.5 billion in Afghan property held within the U.S. 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 conflict in Afghanistan.
Biden's order, signed Friday, allocates one other US$3.5 billion in Afghan property for humanitarian help to a belief fund to be managed by the U.N. to offer help to Afghans. The nation's financial system is teetering getting ready to collapse after worldwide cash stopped coming into Afghanistan with the arrival in mid-August of the Taliban.
Afghanistan's Central Financial institution known as on Biden to reverse his order and launch the funds to it, saying in an announcement Saturday that they belonged to the individuals of Afghanistan and never a authorities, celebration or group.
Torek Farhadi, a monetary adviser to Afghanistan's former U.S.-backed authorities, questioned the U.N. managing Afghan Central Financial institution reserves. He stated these funds will not be meant for humanitarian help however "to again up the nation's foreign money, assist in financial coverage and handle the nation's steadiness of cost."
He additionally questioned the legality of Biden's order.
"These reserves belong to the individuals of Afghanistan, not the Taliban ... Biden's choice is one-sided and doesn't match with worldwide regulation," stated Farhadi. "No different nation on Earth makes such confiscation selections about one other nation's reserves."
White Home officers stated there isn't any easy approach to make all of the frozen property accessible rapidly to the Afghan individuals.
Sept. 11 victims and their households have authorized claims towards the Taliban and the US$7 billion within the U.S. banking system. Courts must log out earlier than the discharge of humanitarian help cash and resolve whether or not to faucet the frozen funds for paying out these claims.
In all, Afghanistan has about US$9 billion in property abroad, together with the US$7 billion in america. The remaining is usually in Germany, the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland.
"What about our Afghan individuals who gave many sacrifices and hundreds of losses of lives?" requested the demonstration's organizer, Abdul Rahman, a civil society activist.
Rahman stated he deliberate to prepare extra demonstrations throughout the capital to protest Biden's order. "This cash belongs to the individuals of Afghanistan, to not america. That is the appropriate of Afghans," he stated.
Misspelled placards in English accused america 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 bottom degree of humanity ... of a rustic and a nation."
Biden's Friday order generated a social media storm with Twitter, with many Tweets repeatedly declaring that the 9/11 hijackers have been Saudi nationals, not Afghans.
Obaidullah Baheer, a lecturer on the American College in Afghanistan and a social activist, tweeted: "Let's remind the world that #AfghansDidntCommit911 and that #BidenStealingAfgMoney!"
Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was delivered to Afghanistan by Afghan warlords after being expelled from Sudan in 1996. Those self same warlords would later ally with the U.S.-led coalition to oust the Taliban in 2001. Nevertheless, it was Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar who refused handy over bin Laden to the U.S. after the devastating 9/11 assaults that killed hundreds.
Nonetheless, some analysts took to Twitter to query Biden's order.
Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program on the U.S.-based Wilson Heart, known as Biden's order to divert US$3.5 billion away from Afghanistan "heartless."
"It is nice that $3.5B in new humanitarian help for Afghanistan has been freed up. However to take one other $3.5B that belongs to the Afghan individuals, and divert it elsewhere--that is misguided and fairly frankly heartless," he tweeted.
Kugelman additionally stated the opposition to Biden's order crossed Afghanistan's vast political divide.
"I am unable to keep in mind the final time so many individuals of such vastly completely different worldviews have been so united over a U.S. coverage choice on Afghanistan," he tweeted.
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