Kabul Demonstration Calls on the US to Release Afghanistan's Cash Reserves
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Hundreds of Afghans have demonstrated in the Afghan capital, Kabul, to demand the release of the funds of the Central Bank of Afghanistan frozen by the United States.
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The country is going through an economic crisis and suffers from a shortage of food and other goods
Hundreds of people protested in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Friday, demanding that the United States release the billions of dollars of the Central Bank of Afghanistan's reserves blocked outside the country, at a time when the Taliban government is struggling to contain the deepening economic crisis.
The demonstration coincides with the Taliban officials' demand to hand over the $9 billion in foreign reserves held abroad.
#Taliban’s supporters in a protest against the #US in #Kabul… demanded that #UnitedStates & #Europe should continue their aids to #Afghanistan…
— Farhad Khurami (@Khurami_) September 24, 2021
🤨 pic.twitter.com/qCYY1tZrXb
Taliban Spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen, indicated in a tweet that the new government supports the demonstrators and their demands.
People in the capital city of Kabul took to the street, demanding immediate release of Afghanistan’s central bank reserves. They were chanting, our people are facing hard economic situation, there is urgent need for unfreezing our asset to overcome the harsh poverty situation. pic.twitter.com/InsXcgKKjb
— Suhail Shaheen. Ù…Øمد سهیل شاهین (@suhailshaheen1) September 24, 2021
There is mounting pressure to release the central bank funds as the economic crisis that followed the collapse of the Western-backed government last month intensified, leaving millions struggling to cope with soaring food prices and other basic necessities.
It is worth mentioning that the severe drought has threatened several parts of rural Afghanistan with famine, but problems have also hit cities such as the capital, Kabul, where many government workers have not received their pays for weeks and banks are imposing strict limits on cash withdrawals.
Demonstrators expressed their rage at US officials, raising slogans that include, "Ordinary Afghans should not pay the price for America's defeat."
