The discovery that Al Qaeda's leader had taken refuge in the heart of Kabul with the protection of the Taliban government caused the Biden administration to rule out releasing $3.5 billion in US funds back to Afghanistan.
The position on the funds was outlined on the one-year anniversary of the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban militia and just over two weeks after an American drone strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri.
Recapitalization of the D.A.B. is not a near-term option according to Thomas West, the American government's special representative for Afghanistan. He said that American officials have been talking to the central bank about how to shore up Afghanistan's economy but have not been able to get assurances that the money wouldn't be used for terrorism.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. West said that they don't have confidence in the institution to manage assets in a responsible way. The Taliban has sheltered Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri, which underscores our concern about diversion of funds to terrorist groups.
Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, said the administration was looking for alternative ways to use the money to help Afghans at a time when millions are suffering from a growing hunger crisis.
We are looking at mechanisms that could be put in place to make sure that the $3.5 billion in assets made their way to Afghanistan in a way that doesn't make them ripe for diversion to terrorist groups.
The anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall will bring renewed criticism of the American withdrawal and the restoration of a repressive regime for women and girls.
The debate has been intensified by the fact that al-Zawahri is dead. The United States can still fight terrorists without a large deployment of ground troops, according to the argument made by Mr. Biden and his allies. His critics pointed to the operation as evidence of the fecklessness of Mr. Biden's decision to leave Afghanistan since it showed that the Taliban is once again giving shelter to Qaeda figures.
The Secretary of State said that al-Zawahri's presence showed that the Taliban had violated the agreement. The administration doesn't know what consequences it will have on the Taliban. The Taliban did not know that al-Zawahri was living in Kabul with his family, even though the Haqqani clan, a terrorist group, appeared to be helping him.
The group has not reconstituted a major presence in Afghanistan since the American withdrawal, according to the US intelligence agencies. The judgement may be too optimistic according to some experts.
At the time of the Taliban takeover, the Afghan central bank deposited $7 billion at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York. Mr. Biden decided to split the money in half with one going to the relatives of Sept. 11 victims and the other going to help the Afghan people.
The United States is working with other countries to establish an international trust fund to help the Afghan people. Officials said they have made significant progress in setting up a trust fund, but have not said when it will be created or how it will work.
mass starvation and a wave of refugees have been caused by the collapse of the Afghan economy after the Taliban takeover. In recent days, the United States announced that it would send $80 million to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization to help combat hunger in Afghanistan, as well as $40 million to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to help educate Afghan children, particularly girls.
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