Protests against Washington's decision on nation's assets: Afghanistan
Hundreds of Afghans protest in Kabul against the US announcement of transferring part of the Afghan national reserves to a trust fund in Switzerland.
-
Demonstrators demanded the immediate and complete release of the Central Bank of Afghanistan's reserves
Hundreds of Afghans gathered in front of the former office of the Afghan Human Rights Commission in the capital, Kabul, to protest against the United State's announcement to transfer part of Afghanistan's national reserves to a trust fund in Switzerland, calling for the full release of assets.
The demonstrators raised banners and chanted anti-US slogans, blaming it for the ongoing humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan.
The demonstrators demanded the immediate and complete release of the reserves of the Central Bank of Afghanistan and issued a statement at the end of the demonstration, accusing the US-led forces of committing war crimes and heinously killing innocent Afghan men, women, and children.
They also called for the immediate and complete unfreezing of more than 9 billion dollars, in addition to the prosecution of the soldiers who committed war crimes.
At the moment, a protest is going in the Dar al-Aman area of Kabul city by the Afghans, in which they demand the release of the frozen assets of Afghanistan by the United States and their handover to Afghanistan.#Unfreezeafghanassets pic.twitter.com/aXYUMmIWq1
— AKStanikzai (@AKS_400) September 17, 2022
Two days ago, after Washington unveiled plans to create an external fund to administer $3.5 billion of Afghanistan's stolen national reserves, the Taliban said that the US had "usurped" Afghan assets.
The US placed a $7 billion asset freeze on the Afghan central bank in August of last year -- while some sources say the amount is up to $9.5 billion -- which exacerbated the poverty crisis brought on by decades of US occupation, followed by the US forces' chaotic withdrawal and the fall of the US-supported government and thus the suspension of foreign aid.
On Wednesday, Washington announced that it was setting up a 'professionally-run' fund outside Afghanistan to raise $3.5 billion in Afghanistan's reserves, arguing that it could not trust the Taliban with the country's money.
The Afghan Fund, which is based in Switzerland, will be in charge of central bank transactions including paying Kabul's international arrears, in addition to electricity imports and future necessities, for example, printing money.
