on Tuesday 14 September, 2021

Taliban demand US remove its leaders from terrorist blacklist, unfreeze Afghan assets

Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir khan Muttaqi speaks during a press conference at the Foreign Ministry of Afghanistan in Kabul on September 14, 2021. (AFP)
by : Agencies

The Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi demanded on Tuesday that the US remove the group’s leaders from its terrorism blacklist and unfreeze Afghanistan's assets.

The US has blacklisted many of the Taliban leaders long ago, including the newly appointed Interior Minister of the group’s government, Sirrajudin Haqqani.

According to the State Department, Haqqani admitted planning the January 2008 attack on Kabul’s Serena Hotel that killed a US citizen and five other people. He was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224 in March 2008.

The US State Department has allocated a reward of $10 million for information on Haqqani.

Muttaqi also demanded the US unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets for to help the Taliban govern the economically-stricken country, urging Washington not “mix humanitarian issues with politics.”

“We provided safe passage for US soldiers to leave Afghanistan, but instead of thanking us, the US froze Afghanistan’s assets,”

The US froze almost $10 billion in Afghan gold, investments and foreign currency reserves after the Taliban seized control of the country on August 15.

The US Treasury said earlier this month it had granted a license authorizing the US government and its partners to continue to facilitate humanitarian aid in Afghanistan. It also gave Western Union, the world's largest money transfer firm, and other financial institutions a green light to resume processing personal remittances to Afghanistan from migrants overseas.

The Taliban’s FM also urged the international community to provide aid to Afghanistan.