The U.S. Government froze Afghanistan government reserves held in U.S. bank accounts as the Taliban rolled into the capital of Kabul, according to a report yesterday.
The move is an attempt to keep Afghanistan’s new rulers, the Taliban,
from accessing billions of dollars after the militant group took control
over the country.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Biden administration cancelled
bulk shipments of dollars headed for Afghanistan last week as Taliban
fighters were poised to take control of Kabul.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the paper reported that the United
States is also blocking Taliban access to government accounts managed
by the Federal Reserve and other U.S. banks.
It said that the U.S. also working to prevent the group from accessing
nearly 500 million dollars worth of reserves at the International
Monetary Fund.
