With Afghanistan on verge of famine, Biden will use some of its frozen funds sought by Taliban to pay 9/11 victims

• Biden is expected to unlock money that has been frozen since the Afghan government collapsed last year. 
• He plans to split the funds between Afghan relief and 9/11 victims’ compensation.
• Meanwhile, Afghanistan is marching toward starvation as the economy remains crippled. 

President Joe Biden on Friday signed an executive order to unlock $7 billion in frozen funds sought by the Taliban to split between humanitarian relief in Afghanistan and families of 9/11 victims, according to multiple reports. 

The billions of dollars in assets — originally from Afghanistan’s central bank — have been frozen in New York’s Federal Reserve since last year, when the Afghan government collapsed and Kabul fell to the Taliban.

The Taliban has spent months trying to get its hands on the money as Afghanistan residents face a crippling economy and are on the verge of starvation.

Biden signed the executive order to transfer the funds on Friday morning, Stars and Stripes reporter Caitlin Doornbos reported

With Biden’s order, $3.5 billion of assets will be sent to humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, a US official familiar with the situation told the Associated Press.

This funding comes amid pleas by the United Nations to ramp up “life-saving assistance” for a country hamstrung by devastating poverty, famine, COVID-19, and economic woes. 

The other $3.5 billion, however, will remain in the US and can be pursued by relatives of 9/11 victims as they engage in ongoing legal battles, officials familiar with internal deliberations about the funds told the New York Times.