The families of victims of the Sept 11, 2001 terror attacks cannot seize $3.5 billion in funds belonging to Afghanistan\u2019s central bank, a New York federal judge ruled on Tuesday.
\nThe assets, held in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, were frozen on August 15, 2021 \u2014 the day the Taliban entered Kabul and toppled the US-backed Afghan government. US President Joe Biden later said the money could be made available to the families of 9\/11 victims.
\nA group of families \u2014 who years earlier sued the Taliban for their losses and won \u2014 has since moved to seize the funds to pay off the judgment debt.
\nBut Judge George Daniels of the Southern District of New York said Tuesday that the federal courts lack the jurisdiction to seize the funds from Afghanistan\u2019s central bank.
\n\u201cThe Judgment Creditors are entitled to collect on their default judgments and be made whole for the worst terrorist attack in our nation\u2019s history, but they cannot do so with the funds of the central bank of Afghanistan,\u201d Daniels explained in a 30-page opinion.
\n\u201cThe Taliban \u2014 not the former Islamic Republic of Afghanistan or the Afghan people \u2014 must pay for the Taliban\u2019s liability in the 9\/11 Attacks.\u201d
\nDaniels also said he was \u201cconstitutionally restrained\u201d from awarding the assets to the families because it would effectively mean recognising the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
\nSince the group\u2019s takeover in 2021, no nation has recognised the Taliban as Afghanistan\u2019s government \u2014 including the United States.
\n\u201cThe fundamental conclusion\u2026 is that neither the Taliban nor the Judgment Creditors are entitled to raid the coffers of the state of Afghanistan to pay the Taliban\u2019s debts.\u201d
\nDaniels\u2019 ruling, which aligns with a recommendation by another judge last year, deals a blow to the families of the victims of 9\/11 as well as insurance companies that made payments because of the attacks.
\nMore than 2,900 people died when four hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, DC and a field in Pennsylvania.
\nThen-president George W Bush launched an invasion of Afghanistan in response, resulting in two decades of war between the US-backed government and the Taliban.
\nWith the withdrawal of US and Nato troops in August 2021, the Taliban retook power and reimposed their hardline version of Islamic law.
\nThe country was almost entirely dependent on aid and has seen its economy teetering on the brink of collapse when Washington froze $7bn in Afghan assets.
\nBiden revealed a plan in February 2022 to split the cash with half directed as aid to Afghanistan and half going to families of victims of the 9\/11 attacks.
\nBut it remains unclear what will happen to the latter $3.5bn set aside for the families if their appeals fail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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