ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN – The US President, Joe Biden, in a letter to the US Congress, extends the national emergency indefinitely after it expires on February 11, 2024.
In the letter, President Biden cites the widespread humanitarian crisis and the risk of a worsening economic collapse in Afghanistan as a source of threat to US interest thus justifying the extension of the national emergency.
“The widespread humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan — including the urgent needs of the people of Afghanistan for food security, livelihoods support, water, sanitation, health, hygiene, and shelter and settlement assistance, among other basic human needs — and the potential for a deepening economic collapse in Afghanistan continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”
In an executive order signed in February 2022, Biden declared a national emergency, which allowed him to take certain decisions related to Afghanistan without needing legislature approval. Blocking half of Afghanistan’s national reserves in a fund in Switzerland was one of such measures.
The US congress passed a bill in 1966 that allows US presidents to declare national emergencies in certain circumstances, which allows them to take spending and foreign policy decisions without congressional approval.
Soon after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, The US President froze $7 billion in Afghan central bank assets that were held in the US Federal Reserve. Later, this amount was divided in half, $3.5 billion of which was transferred to a trust fund in Switzerland while the other half is currently subject to a legal claim by victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Since then, the Kabul regime has consistently urged the US to lift imposed sanctions and unfreeze the DAB’s assets. However, according to a SIGAR report, the US Treasury and State Departments are currently unwilling to support the return of funds to the Taliban-controlled DAB.
Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the humanitarian situation in the country has deteriorated drastically, making it one of the world’s most critical crises. Now, over two-thirds of the population require urgent humanitarian assistance.
The regime’s bans on women working for international and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as the UN have added complexity to an already challenging protection environment.
Two years after U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan, the US remains the largest donor to the people of Afghanistan, having provided nearly $2.52 billion in aid during this period.
