Taliban to West: Release frozen funds, or be flooded with wave of migrants
Millions of Afghans could face starvation this winter, according to director of U.N.'s World Food Program.
By Bethany Blankley
Updated: November 7, 2021 - 10:37pm
With Afghanistan facing a humanitarian crisis this winter in the wake of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country, Taliban officials are warning — or threatening — that unless Western governments and financial institutions release frozen foreign reserves and aid funds, the West could be flooded with a tide of Afghan migrants.
Roughly $430 million is being held at the German Commerzbank and $94 million in the Bundesbank, Germany's central bank. Another $660 million is being held by the Bank for International Settlements, a conglomerate of worldwide central banks located in Switzerland.
The bulk of the contested funds, roughly $9.5 billion held by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, is frozen by the U.S. Treasury Department and is unlikely to be released any time soon.
In 2020, Afghan reserves including gold and U.S. dollars held in U.S. and European banks totaled $9.6 billion, according to the World Bank.
more
https://justthenews.com/government/security/montaliban-west-release-frozen-funds-or-be-flooded-wave-migrants
