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United States President Joe Biden. Alamy Stock Photo

Anger as Joe Biden takes $3.5 billion of Afghan assets to fund 9/11 families

$7 billion in frozen Afghan assets is to be split between humanitarian relief and a 9/11 fund.

DEMONSTRATOR’S IN AFGHANISTAN’S capital have condemned US president Joe Biden’s order to give $3.5 billion in Afghan assets held in the US for families of America’s 9/11 victims.

Protesters who gathered outside Kabul’s grand Eid Gah mosque asked America for financial compensation for the tens of thousands of Afghans killed during the last 20 years of war in their country.

On Friday, Biden took $7 billion in frozen assets belonging to the previous Afghan government held in the US. The White House said that $3.5 billion would be provided for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan with the other half being provided as funds for 9/11 families.

Afghanistan’s economy is teetering on the brink of collapse after international money stopped coming into Afghanistan with the arrival of the Taliban last August.

Torek Farhadi, a financial adviser to Afghanistan’s former US-backed government, questioned the UN managing Afghan Central Bank reserves.

He said those funds are not meant for humanitarian aid but “to back up the country’s currency, help in monetary policy and manage the country’s balance of payment”.

He also questioned the legality of Biden’s order.

“These reserves belong to the people of Afghanistan, not the Taliban … Mr Biden’s decision is one-sided and does not match with international law,” said Farhadi.

No other country on Earth makes such confiscation decisions about another country’s reserves.

Afghanistan has about $9 billion in assets overseas, including the $7 billion dollars in the United States.

The rest is mostly in Germany, the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland.

af AP AP

The demonstration’s organiser, activist Abdul Rahman, asked: “What about our Afghan people who gave many sacrifices and thousands of losses of lives?”

Mr Rahman said he planned to organise more demonstrations across the capital to protest against Mr Biden’s order.

“This money belongs to the people of Afghanistan, not to the United States. This is the right of Afghans,” he said.

Placards accused the United States of being cruel and of stealing the money of Afghans.

Yesterday, Taliban political spokesman Mohammad Naeem accused the Biden administration of showing “the lowest level of humanity … of a country and a nation”.

Biden’s order generated a social media storm, with tweets and other posts repeatedly pointing out that the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi nationals, not Afghans.

Obaidullah Baheer, a lecturer at the American University in Afghanistan and a social activist, tweeted: “Let’s remind the world that #AfghansDidntCommit911 and that #BidenStealingAfgMoney!”

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was brought to Afghanistan by Afghan warlords after being expelled from Sudan in 1996. Those same warlords would later ally with the US-led coalition to oust the Taliban in 2001.

However, it was Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar who refused to hand over bin Laden to the US after the devastating 9/11 attacks that killed thousands in September 2001.

Some analysts took to Twitter to question Biden’s order. Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Programme at the US-based Wilson Centre, criticised the scheme to divert funds from Afghanistan.

“It’s great that $3.5 billion in new humanitarian aid for Afghanistan has been freed up. But to take another $3.5 billion that belongs to the Afghan people, and divert it elsewhere–that is misguided and quite frankly heartless,” he tweeted.

Kugelman also said the opposition to Biden’s order crossed Afghanistan’s wide political divide.

“I can’t remember the last time so many people of such vastly different worldviews were so united over a US policy decision on Afghanistan,” he tweeted.

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    Mute Rab.c.nesbitt
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 8:16 AM

    All for it, isn’t in amazing how quick they can draft up a bill for primary legislation but can’t draft up a bill for other issues in the country which need to be addressed just as urgently

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    Mute Brian O'Brendan
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 8:35 AM

    @Rab.c.nesbitt: You look like ya whip the guitar as house parties and everyone wants to die.

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    Mute Rab.c.nesbitt
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 10:06 AM

    @Brian O’Brendan: sit boo boo sit

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    Mute another one? what's going on is the semi state sec
    Favourite another one? what's going on is the semi state sec
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 2:01 PM

    @Brian O’Brendan: Have you never heard of Rab?!?!?….. Showing your age!

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    Mute CP
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 6:42 PM

    @another one? what’s going on is the semi state sec: he’s showing his age ok if he doesn’t know who Rab is, hes only a pup

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    Mute Trump23
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 8:07 AM

    Just ban them 100%

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    Mute Arthur Brophy
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 8:57 AM

    @Trump23: and create a lucrative black market, because prohibition is soooooo successful

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    Mute Arthur Brophy
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 9:02 AM

    The war war on vapes will go like the war on drugs, a monumental failure

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    Mute Trump23
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 1:53 PM

    @Arthur Brophy: Not a good enough reason not to ban them

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    Mute Stiles
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 2:17 PM

    @Arthur Brophy: 100% agree with the war on drugs being a complete failure but as long as they keep vapes regulated and legal for adults the black market won’t thrive. they shud legalise and regulate drugs for adults too..

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    Mute Niall English
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 9:28 AM

    i see donnelly concerned with the health risks. when is he going to tax fast food and junk food for obese people?

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    Mute Buster Lawless
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 10:34 AM

    @Niall English: and Netflix!!! Sitting down to watch a good movie of a winters night…. should be banned

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    Mute Brian Hunt
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 4:53 PM

    All the laws in the world are useless if they are not enforced. O’Connell Street, scroats selling heroin whilst Gardai look on!

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    Mute SerotoninWars
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 4:27 PM

    This is really unfair on kids addicted to nicotine. Imagine them trying to enjoy Disney on Ice while they’re gummin for a vape. It’s a great way of get them to tuck into fruit too with all the strawberry and watermelon options. This will end up like the pubs except it’ll be the kids who opt to stay at home where they can vape in peace, and at a reasonable price too.

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    Mute Means Of Escape
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 11:03 PM

    Bring in a law that requires a prescription from your doctor before you can buy vapes

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    Mute Tommy
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 3:03 PM

    I hear joe dolan from the hale shop just let specialist shops sell them his shops are the 1s selling them to kids

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    Mute martin finnegan
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 3:16 PM

    Awlful thing wont know real damage doing for few years sadly. Billionaires out there dont ever wanting smoking to go altogether. If was cure for cancer which how isnt but was vaccine for covid-19 so fast know not same but on control scales
    was .As it is more money in treatment and selling of smoking products and treatments to get you back smoking

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    Mute SerotoninWars
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    Sep 23rd 2024, 4:33 PM

    @martin finnegan: ‘ If was cure for cancer which how isnt but was vaccine for covid-19 so fast know not same but on control scales
    was’

    ??

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