Biden Hurting Afghanistan’s Poor by Blocking Reserves, Official Says
- Afghan central bank board member met U.S. Congress members
- Afghanistan will face liqudity crisis, forcing banks to close
Taliban fighters patrol a street in Kabul following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, on Sept. 2.
Photographer: Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images
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The Biden administration’s move to freeze Afghan government reserves held in U.S. accounts last month would dry up liquidity, force banks to close and push the country into further poverty, an Afghanistan central bank official said.
Shah Mehrabi, a senior board member of Da Afghanistan Bank, has been lobbying members of U.S. Congress and policy makers for a “conditional release” of these funds amounting to about $9.4 billion. Mehrabi, who lives in the U.S. and has been a board member since 2002, said talks have been productive although he declined to provide further details.