The families of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks cannot seize the assets of the Central Bank of Afghanistan, a New York federal judge ruled Tuesday.

That $3.5 billion (€3.3 billion), which is held in an entity of the US Federal Reserve Bank (Fed), was frozen on August 15, 2021, the day the Taliban entered Kabul and overthrew the Afghanistan government.

The families of the victims of 9/11, who years ago had won a trial against the Taliban, they have since requested the seizure of this money in order to compensate them, as the court had ruled.

But Judge George Daniels ruled yesterday that US federal courts do not have jurisdiction to seize that money.
“The Taliban and not the former Islamic Republic of Afghanistan or the Afghan people should pay for the Taliban’s responsibility in the 9/11 attacks,” he said.

At the same time, according to the federal judge, the US Constitution “prevents” giving this money to the families because it would mean that the country recognizes the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan.
After the Islamists seized power, no country has recognized the Taliban government.

After Washington froze $7 billion (€6.6 billion) in assets of Afghanistan’s Central Bank, US President Joe Biden announced in 2022 a plan that would see half of that money go to providing humanitarian aid in Afghanistan and the rest to compensate the victims of 9/11.