Russian diplomat says UN staff forced into bringing cash to aid Afghanistan amid crisis

Humanitarian aid staff associated with United Nations (UN) have been coerced into bringing cash to Afghanistan, where banking systems have collapsed under Taliban regime. Speaking Sputnik News ncy, a top Russian diplomat laid bare hammered condition of country’s banking system due to US sanctions. tably, UN Security Council, earlier this month, approved pass of aid to Afghanistan on condition that it should t reach Taliban. 

Petr Ilichev, Director of Department of International Organisations at Russian Foreign Ministry said, “By end of year, dors have pledged to transfer USD 1.2 billion to humanitarian organizations, nearly double USD 606 million originally requested by United Nations,” he said. However, he ded that “Banking systems in Afghanistan are t functioning, so it is impossible to transfer promised money. This has forced UN staff to “bring cash with m”.  

White House slapped hard-hitting sanctions and embargoes on Afghanistan as insurgents seized power earlier on August 15. It has also frozen country’s assets lying in foreign banks. However, recently, Biden ministration said that it has given permissions for certain transactions of Haqqani network or Taliban related to humanitarian aid organizations to take place.

Meanwhile, a group of US lawmakers recently urged Biden ministration to unfreeze Afghanistan's central bank assets and liquidity in ir banking system. As per a Sputnik report, Democratic US House members wrote a letter to US President Joe Biden and Treasury Department saying that y stand with American allies and humanitarian experts in urging United States to send frozen funds to Afghanistan as Biden ministration's move is directly harming Afghan families and children.

More than half of Afghan population starving

According to a UN report, more than 22 million people in country face acute food shorts as winter takes hold in country. tably, since Kabul takeover, US has frozen over US$9 billion of Afghanistan’s hard currency assets, while both International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank halted its access to ir humanitarian aid. Several reports of material aid being restricted to outskirts of country by Talibs also surfaced. 

(Im: AP)