MY KOLKATA EDUGRAPH
ADVERTISEMENT
regular-article-logo Sunday, 05 May 2024

$10 billion in assets will be out of reach for Taliban

The country’s central bank, Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), is thought to hold foreign currency, gold and other treasures in its vaults

Reuters London Published 19.08.21, 12:53 AM
 Most of the assets are held outside Afghanistan potentially putting most of them beyond the insurgents’ reach, according to Afghan officials, including the bank’s acting governor, Ajmal Ahmady, who has fled Kabul.

Most of the assets are held outside Afghanistan potentially putting most of them beyond the insurgents’ reach, according to Afghan officials, including the bank’s acting governor, Ajmal Ahmady, who has fled Kabul. Shutterstock

The Taliban took over Afghanistan with astonishing speed, but it appears unlikely that the militants will get quick access to most of the Afghan central bank’s roughly $10 billion in assets.

The country’s central bank, Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), is thought to hold foreign currency, gold and other treasures in its vaults, according to an Afghan official.

ADVERTISEMENT

Most of the assets are held outside Afghanistan potentially putting most of them beyond the insurgents’ reach, according to Afghan officials, including the bank’s acting governor, Ajmal Ahmady, who has fled Kabul.

“Given that the Taliban are still on international sanction lists, it is expected (confirmed?) that such assets will be frozen and not accessible to Taliban,” Ahmady said in a Twitter thread on Wednesday.

“We can say the accessible funds to the Taliban are perhaps 0.1-0.2 per cent of Afghanistan’s total international reserves. Not much,” he added. The Taliban said on Saturday that the treasury, public facilities and government offices were the property of the nation.

Follow us on:
ADVERTISEMENT