Over $7 billion dollars lie in Afghanistan’s central bank account at the Federal Reserve and with Taliban rule still in it’s early stages, a plethora of legal, national security, and political problems surround the money. The Taliban claims that the money is rightfully theirs while others attest that the money should be given to the families of 9/11 victims.
Only 20 years ago about 150 family members of 9/11 victims sued a list of targets including Al Qaeda and the Taliban. A decade later and a court found the defendants liable for damages worth $7 billion dollars but, with no way to collect the money, the decision seemed to be only symbolic. Or, at least it was until the Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan’s government in August 2021. Now the question remains, if that money is truly the Taliban’s, shouldn’t the families of 9/11 victims be entitled to seize it?
“After our husbands were killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, we have spent many years fighting to achieve justice on their behalf. Together with the others in our case, we obtained an enforceable money judgment against the Taliban and now call on President Biden to ensure the funds we have attached go to us and not the terrorists who played a role in taking the lives of our loved ones.”
Ellen Saracini and Fiona Havish who are spouses of two victims who lost their lives in the World Trade Center attack.
Currently, high level officials in the Biden administration are debating the question. Among the issues is if the United States can sidestep some legal issues by recognizing the Taliban as Afghanistan’s rightful government and therefore allowing the money to be given to the 9/11 families.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan has been unable to sustain it’s healthcare and other services as foreign aid has been cutoff completely. According to the World Bank, one out of every three Afghans were on the brink of starvation at the end of last month due to aid cutoffs.
Afghanistan faces a humanitarian crisis and with many countries unwilling to support the Taliban government, the future remains bleak. Unfortunately, the people of Afghanistan are often the ones paying the price for government inaction. Even Afghans with money are unable to withdrawal from banks and family members from oversees can only send a limited amount of money to them. In addition, western countries have been trying to appease Taliban leaders to allow for greater freedom among women and other groups. Giving the $7 billion dollars to 9/11 families could further alienate Afghanistan from western ideals.
This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group Blog. If you are in need of legal help, the CIMA Law Group is a law firm in Phoenix, Arizona which possesses expertise in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Inquiry, and Government Relations.
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