The U.S. Government has announced the extension for one year of the current state of alert of U.S. institutions in view of the threat that the current humanitarian and security crisis in Afghanistan, under the control of the Taliban fundamentalist movement, may pose to the country.
Through this state of alert, the U.S. government declares itself able to retain ownership of the assets of the Afghan Central Bank in the hands of U.S. financial institutions before the Taliban recapture of the country in August 2021.
«The widespread humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the potential for economic collapse continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,» the White House said in a statement issued late on Saturday.
The Taliban have been asking the U.S. for months to unfreeze these assets in order to resolve the humanitarian crisis in the country themselves. Washington does not recognize the fundamentalist movement at the head of the country and fears that these funds will be used to finance terrorism.
«The preservation of certain Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) properties held by U.S. financial institutions is critically important to address this national emergency and the well-being of the people of Afghanistan,» the White House adds.
Therefore, U.S. President Joe Biden has decided to extend for one year, until February 11, 2024, the current state of alert, according to the note on the executive order, which invokes the so-called International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
