Afghanistan has been hit with economic and humanitarian sanctions after the Islamic Emirate swept into power following the rapid collapse of the western-backed government and disintegration of its 20 years National Army last year.
Since August 2021, the world has come up with new sanctions and the latest one has targeted some incumbent and former Taliban officials. The sanctions that also saw the freezing of 7$ billion of Afghan assets came at a time when Afghanistan has been going through its critical humanitarian situation.
Afghanistan has now the highest number of people in emergency food insecurity not only in the region but around the world. Around 23 million of its estimated 36 million populations are in need of food assistance and approximately 95% of the populations have insufficient food consumption.
“It’s a fact that freezing of Afghan assets in US and European banks has triggered an economic crisis,” Taliban Deputy Minister of Economy Abdul Latif Nazari told Harici.
He also said that Taliban officials are intensively in talks with the US and EU officials to convince them to unblock Afghan assets, but it would be time-consuming.
“The sanction-imposed countries must not pursue its political goals and agenda behind blocking the Afghan assets,” Nazari said.
A senior Taliban official who wished anonymously, told Harici that the West, especially the US had destroyed Afghanistan in the last 20 years and in the end they stole Afghan money. He called on the US to unblock the assets in a nutshell and called the freezing of $9 billion of Afghanistan’s Central Fund in foreign reserves “illegal.”
“In a hypocritical move, the Biden administration issued sanctions exemption to allow non-profit organizations to deliver food and other assistance into Afghanistan, but the absence of a functioning banking sector continues to pose obstacles on the way,” the official added.
US economic sanctions against the Taliban date back to their first time in power in the 1990s after September 11, 2001 attacks in New York, prompting the US to invade Afghanistan.
The then US president George W. Bush in an executive order issued just days after the attack had placed both the Taliban and the Haqqani Network under Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).
With the Taliban now ruling Afghanistan after 20 years of fighting against US forces, it seems the US is following the same method and has recently sanctioned some former and current Taliban officials.
Two days ago, the US announced a new visa restriction policy as punishment for current or former Taliban leaders and others “believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, repressing” Afghan women and girls through restrictive policies and violence.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that immediate family members of such persons may also be subject to these restrictions.
The Taliban Foreign Ministry has strongly criticized new US sanctions against some of Taliban leaders as an “impediment to the development” of ties between Afghanistan and the US.
The ministry said that the new sanctions came in the wake of detailed discussions between high-level Taliban and US officials in Doha, and almost all important issues were discussed.
The Taliban questioned the timing of the decision.
The world has yet to recognize the new government in Afghanistan over lack of inclusive formation of government, however the Taliban defend their policies, saying they are in line with Afghan culture and Islamic injunctions.
