Taliban Urges US Congress to Release Afghanistan Assets

The Taliban has urged members of Congress in the United States to free Afghan assets that have been blocked since the Taliban took control of the nation, saying that economic turbulence at home could lead to unrest abroad, according to TRT WORLD.

In an open letter published on Wednesday, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi stated that the greatest difficulty confronting Afghanistan is financial instability, "and the origins of this anxiety can be traced back to the American government's freezing of our people's assets."

He cautioned that the current economic scenario might lead to a mass migration.

The centennial of Washington's recognition of Afghanistan's sovereignty occurs in 2021, according to Muttaqi.

"Our bilateral ties, like those of other countries throughout the world, have seen ups and downs," he continued.

"Practical measures toward good governance, security, and transparency have been taken," Muttaqi stated.

"Afghanistan poses no threat to the region or the world, and a path has been established for beneficial cooperation."

"If the current scenario continues, the Afghan government and people will confront difficulties, and the country will become a source of mass migration in the region and around the world, resulting in additional humanitarian and economic challenges," he warned.

"This will serve as the worst memory implanted in Afghans at the hands of America," Muttaqi said, adding that the US risked further harming its reputation in the country.

"We hope that members of the American Congress would give this issue serious consideration," he continued.

The Afghan central bank's assets worth over $9.5 billion have been confiscated by the US. The aid-dependent economy has practically collapsed, with state officials going months without pay and the government unable to pay for imports.

Concerned countries have given hundreds of millions of dollars in aid, but they are hesitant to commit funding unless the Taliban agree to a more inclusive administration that protects women's and minorities' rights.

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan with an iron fist from 1996 to 2001, cruelly violating human rights in the name of Islamic law, raising worries of a repeat of their excesses.