Taliban freezes bank accounts of former Afghan Govt officials

Kabul: The Taliban has ordered banks to freeze accounts of former Afghan officials including government workers, lawmakers, according to reports.

According to Kabul-based BBC journalist Khalili Noori, the group has ordered banks to freeze accounts of former Afghan ministers, deputies, MPs and mayors.

The announcement was made on Thursday by Anaamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban Cultural Commission, but he did not reveal the names of the affected former officials, TOLO News reported.

"Accounts of some officials from the previous government, most of whom fled the country, have been closed," Samangani was quoted as saying.

There was however no official comment on the development from Da Afghanistan Bank, the country's Central Bank.

Last week, banks that were closed as soon as the Taliban captured Kabul, were ordered to reopen. However, strict weekly limits on cash withdrawals have been imposed and many people were seen queuing to get cash.

Last month, the Joe Biden-led US administration froze Afghan government reserves held in the US, effectively blocking the Taliban from accessing billions of dollars.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had also blocked a fund transfer worth $440 million in monetary reserves to the country.

Most monetary assets of Afghanistan are held abroad as central banks of developing nations are more likely to park their assets overseas with institutions such as the Federal Reserve of New York (FRNBY) or the Bank of England.

According to Afghan's central bank, Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) Governor Ajmal Ahmady, the Taliban may not be able to access the central bank's funds and assets worth nearly $10 billion for a long period. The reason being most of these assets are not physically present in Afghanistan.