Taliban to take 'every step possible' to lift US freeze on Afghan central bank assets

The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan will take ‘every legal step possible’ in a bid to lift the US freeze on assets of the Afghan central bank, said Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen. While speaking with Sputnik on September 13, Shaheen said,

“I think they should lift the freeze, it is the money of the people of Afghanistan and we have a lot of economic problems, because of that, this freeze is against the people of Afghanistan. There is a need for that. The new government will take every legal action possible.”

The Taliban on August 15 completed its capture of Afghanistan, with the exception of the northern province of Panjshir, prompting the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government. Several nations restored to evacuating their citizens and diplomatic personnel from the war-torn country due to challenging security situations. Ever since the Taliban reconquered Afghanistan after two decades, the crisis in the country has topped the global agenda, with the UN saying that Afghans are ‘facing humanitarian calamity.’

UN chief convenes high-level meeting on Afghanistan

Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on September 13 convened a high-level ministerial meeting on the Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan on Monday. According to the statement by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the meeting highlighted the crucial needs in the war-ravaged nation. It also underscored the urgent funding support and actions required by international partners to support the Afghan people during their time of need.

Guterres said, "Even before the dramatic events of the last weeks, Afghans were experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Today, one in three Afghans do not know where their next meal will come from. The poverty rate is spiralling – and basic public services are close to collapse.

"Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes. At the same time, Afghanistan faces a severe drought – the second to hit the country in four years. Many people could run out of food by the end of this month, just as winter approaches. And, of course, COVID-19 continues to stalk the country," he added in the speech during the high-level meeting. 

IMAGE: AP