Members of a visiting U.S. women's peace and education delegation attend a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 31, 2022. Members of the delegation on Thursday urged the U.S. administration to lift the freeze on Afghanistan's assets. (Photo by Aria/Xinhua)
KABUL, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Members of a visiting U.S. Women's Peace and Education Delegation, an advocacy group, on Thursday urged the U.S. administration to lift the freeze on Afghanistan's assets.
In the wake of U.S.-led forces' withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban's takeover of the country's power last August, the U.S. government has frozen some 9 billion dollars of Afghan assets, which has worsened the war-torn country's already fragile economy.
U.S. President Joe Biden issued a decree in February, allocating 3.5 billion dollars of the frozen sum to the 9/11 victims' families and earmarking another 3.5 billion dollars for humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
Kelly Campbell, a member of the group, said on Thursday that the week-long visit was aimed at working for Afghanistan's Central Bank reserves to be returned to the Afghan people.
"It is clear from what we saw this week that Afghanistan needs its funds return as soon as possible to shore up banking system and help cure the economy," she told reporters at a press briefing.
"This money does not belong to 9/11 family members, to the United States, or to the Taliban. The money belongs to the people of Afghanistan," she said.
"While the world attention has turned to the crisis in Ukraine, we felt it was critical to bring attention to the continued plight of the Afghan people by bringing a group of prominent American women," said Masuda Sultan, an Afghan-American who organized the delegation.
The seven-member delegation visited local non-governmental organizations, a health clinic, an orphanage and schools and met with various local leaders during the visit, advocating for education for all girls and for additional humanitarian aid to the country with severe unmet needs, according to Sultan. ■