The World Bank announced after its board meeting on Afghanistan that it had suspended payments to the country, which had recently been seized by the Taliban.
The World Bank announced after its board meeting on Afghanistan that it had suspended payments to the country, which had recently been seized by the Taliban.
A spokesman for the financial institution said: “We are deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the country’s development prospects, especially for women.” He added that the World Bank is closely monitoring the situation in the country.
At the same time, the Washington-based lender stressed that it is looking at ways to continue to participate in Afghanistan and preserve its development achievements, and will continue to support its people.
“We are monitoring and evaluating the situation based on our internal policies and procedures,” the spokesman said. In doing so, we will continue to work closely with the international community and our partners for development.
Last week, the US Treasury Department announced that it was blocking Taliban access to $ 460 million in assets to be sent to Afghanistan by the International Monetary Fund.
Washington also stopped sending large shipments of dollars that were to be transported to the country to prevent the use of the Taliban.
The Central Bank of Afghanistan has about $ 9 billion in foreign exchange reserves, almost all of which are stored abroad. According to Ajmal Ahmadi, the former head of the country’s central bank, the Taliban have almost no access to any of these funds.
Taliban militants have captured Kabul shortly after announcing the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of military presence in Afghanistan. The event caused the value of the country’s currency to fall to its lowest level and posed a high risk of inflation.
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