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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
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Moustafa Bayoumi

Why is the White House stealing $7bn from Afghans?

*** BESTPIX *** President Biden Delivers Remarks At Nat'l Association Of Counties Conference<br>*** BESTPIX *** WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 15: U.S. President Joe Biden gestures as he speaks at the National Association of Counties legislative conference at the Washington Hilton Hotel on February 15, 2022 in Washington, DC. 1,500 elected and appointed county officials from across the country gathered for the hybrid event to hear about ongoing federal policy issues and their effect on county governments (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
‘Why must ordinary Afghan citizens who had nothing to do with the September 11 attacks have their savings confiscated and their lives immiserated by bureaucrats in Washington?’ Photograph: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Last week, the White House issued an executive order announcing the theft of some $7bn. Shocking, to be sure. But more shocking still was when that same executive order also identified the thief: the White House.

In a move that can only be described as brazenly immoral and utterly unconscionable, the Biden administration has begun a process to seize the more than $7bn of assets that the Central Bank of Afghanistan has on deposit at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Since the Taliban gained control of the war-ravaged country last year, that money has been frozen in place. Now, the administration has concocted its own mega-grift, planning to spend half of the money – not their money, lest we forget – for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, while reserving the other half of the funds – not their money – for the relatives of the September 11 victims who have brought claims against the Taliban for the 2001 terrorist attacks.

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