Joe Biden to split Afghanistan assets with 9/11 victims

The withdrawal of the US and other western military forces in Afghanistan with the rapid takeover of the Taliban saw the end to the western-backed government of the country. US President Joe Biden has sought to split the seized assets from the western-backed government between the Afghan people and the victims of the 9/11 attacks.

Friday last week, Biden seized $7 billion in assets that belonged to Afghanistan’s previous government to split the funds between Afghans who are in dire need of humanitarian aid and the families of the 9/11 terrorist attack victims. Biden formally blocked the assets in an executive order Friday.

According to a US official, the money mostly stems from foreign assistance that was originally to help the Western-backed Afghan government. The assets have remained in the New York Federal Reserve since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last year. No country has recognized the Taliban government of Afghanistan, largely due to its human rights record.

With the humanitarian crisis worsening in the country, the US and other countries have been trying to find ways to bring the needed aid without having to pass through the Taliban.

Biden will funnel $3.5 billion of the funds into a humanitarian aid trust, according to the White House. Another senior US official told reporters that the trust fund will manage the aid that will bypass the insurgent group. The official noted that the US remains to be the biggest donor of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

As for the families of the 9/11 victims, they will have the opportunity to file a lawsuit to gain access to the frozen Afghan funds, according to the White House. The assets will stay in the US and will be subject to “ongoing litigation” by the victims’ families. The plaintiffs will have a chance to have their claims heard in the courts.

In other related news, Biden is also tackling the ongoing tensions surrounding Russia and Ukraine. The US leader spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the phone Sunday, saying that the US will immediately respond should Russia make any moves towards an invasion.

The call between Biden and Zelensky comes amidst warnings that Russia may attempt to invade Ukraine as soon as this week. A senior Ukrainian official said that Zelensky renewed his call for Washington to provide greater military and financial support to Ukraine while asking the US leader to visit Ukraine as soon as possible. However, US officials said that it is unlikely that Biden may travel.