The Taliban has been promoting the Afghan currency by auctioning off dollars. How is a known terrorist group obtaining USD? The United Nations has sent billions to the Taliban in recent years to support its central bank, with much of those funds being approved and sent by the United States. Worse, the Biden Administration confiscated $3.5 billion in funding from a fund designated for 9/11 survivors to pay the Taliban.
The Taliban has also auctioned off the billions in weapons that the United States left behind after the former commander in chief ordered an immediate withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. It is estimated that $7 billion in equipment was left behind, yet Biden blames Afghan authorities for allowing the Taliban to take over.
As for the funds stolen from the 9/11 fund, it originated when families who lost loved ones to the 9/11 attacks sued Al Qaeda, Iran, and the Taliban. No one expected any party to pay, but since Afghanistan had $7 billion in assets within the US, the court permitted it to be seized. This money was initially intended to support the families of 9/11 victims.
The government was quick to seize and redistribute Russian assets, but the last administration was hesitant to seize assets from known enemies. The US government began freezing Russian assets in February 2022, which is also when Biden decided to unfreeze $7 billion in assets from Afghanistan. Biden signed an executive order that determined the $7 billion would be placed in a trust fund—half would be sent to families of victims, while the other half would be used for humanitarian aid for Afghans.
A day later, the Biden Administration decided that the 9/11 families did not deserve the payout and sent it back into the court system. He did, however, ensure that the other $3.5 billion was sent to Afghanistan. Former Secretary of State Blinken, a notorious neocon, feigned concern for the families while saying that the victims “should have a full opportunity to set forth their arguments in court.” He later announced that seizing funds from the central bank would harm US interests in the Middle East.
Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn ruled against the 9/11 families. Netburn ruled that the Afghanistan bank (Da Afghanistan Bank, DAB) had “sovereign immunity” as the nation was not sanctioned; only the Taliban, who happened to be ruling the nation, were sanctioned. Biden declined to declare Afghanistan a state sponsor of terrorism, providing them with immunity.
“Absent action by us, these funds were likely to be tied up in courts for years, while the action we have taken stands the best chance of more quickly freeing up a large portion for humanitarian support,” a White House official said after “activists” complained that it was unjust to seize funds. Former Treasury Secretary Yellen approved of sending aid to Afghanistan through the United Nations.
The investigation into USAID found billions funneled to terrorist organizations like the Taliban through the UN and NGOs. Biden was the only president to decline an invitation to the annual 9/11 memorial. Biden’s incompetence left 10,000 Americans behind. Few know that he authorized frozen funds to be redistributed back to Afghanistan while it was under the control of a terrorist organization.
I met with the Afghan government on neutral ground in Thailand many years ago. I was invited to give lectures there, but just never found the time to make that trip. As I have said before, most governments have heard of Socrates. After all, it has been putting out economic and geopolitical forecasts since 1977. From my discussions with them in Thailand, what I can say is that the Taliban are largely self-funded, yet have been warmly protected by Pakistan, which is the ONLY nuclear nation in that region. Pakistan has supported the Taliban, not for religious agreement, but because of their enemy, the Afghans, who were friends with Pakistan’s enemy, India. In that sense, there is a deep-seated religious conflict that goes back to the creation of Pakistan in 1947. China supports Pakistan and has announced it will continue to support Pakistan during its battle with India.
The peak in our model on the region took place in 2019 when any hope of some sort of peace treaty with the Taliban collapsed. Military operations between Afghan and US government forces and the Taliban then intensified in 2019, resulting in more than 8,000 civilian casualties. That was precisely on target, being 72 years from 1947, which was the real period of the rise in militant Islam. A standard 2-year reaction was in play, which has brought us to this point in 2021. But this is the start of a 13-year cycle of rising tensions, which will also peak in 2032.
