Afghanistan Times
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The Taliban have no legal claim to nearly $4 billion in Afghan assets because they are not recognized as the country’s government and remain under sanctions, a US watchdog said in a report released Friday.
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) stated that the US administration and Congress might consider reclaiming the funds, which were set aside for Afghanistan but remain unused.
In 2022, $3.5 billion in Afghan central bank assets frozen in the US was transferred to the Swiss-based Fund for the Afghan People, which has since grown to nearly $4 billion. The fund was established to stabilize Afghanistan’s economy, but no direct payments to Afghans have been made.
“The Taliban want these funds even though they have no legal right to them,” the report said, citing US non-recognition of the group and its designation under global terrorism sanctions.
The report comes as President Donald Trump orders a 90-day freeze on foreign aid to reassess its alignment with US policy goals.
