The Taliban have put forward pleas for the US to release frozen assets in American banks in order to handle the devastating effects of an earthquake in Afghanistan.
So far, at least 1,000 people have died while 1,500 have been injured after an earthquake of a 6.1 magnitude occured in the city of Khost.
The US administration under Joe Biden froze 9.5 billion of Afghanistan Central Bank reserves held in US banks since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
Biden said that the frozen funds would be used for providing relief to families that were victims of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Following the earthquake, Haibatullah Akhunzada, the Taliban's main leader, asked:
"the international community, welfare, and humanitarian organizations to come forward and provide assistance to the earthquake affected people of Afghanistan."
Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, told Sahar TV that the US ought to unfreeze the funds to help address the disaster.
[Based on reporting by: Business Insider]
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