Sanctioned Taliban Official Appointed as Afghanistan Central Bank Governor

The Taliban has appointed Noor Ahmad Agha, an official under U.S. counter-terrorism sanctions, as the acting governor of Afghanistan’s central bank. This move is likely to be closely watched by Washington, which has frozen billions in the bank’s reserves. The appointment may impact future negotiations regarding the bank’s access to frozen funds.

The Taliban has promoted an official, Noor Ahmad Agha, who is under U.S. counter-terrorism sanctions, to the position of acting governor of Afghanistan’s central bank. This decision comes at a time when billions of the bank’s reserves remain frozen by Washington.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban administration, announced the appointment of Agha, also known as Ahmad Zia Agha, by the Taliban’s supreme spiritual leader in a statement on Saturday. The former governor, Hidayatullah Badri, who is also sanctioned by the U.S. and United Nations, will now serve as the acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum.

U.S. scrutiny remains intense on Afghanistan’s central bank appointments, especially after freezing $7 billion of its reserves following the Taliban takeover in 2021. Washington later moved half of these funds to a Switzerland-based trust fund managed by U.S., Swiss, and Afghan trustees.

One of the U.S. conditions for consideration of unfreezing the assets is the replacement of senior Taliban members with experienced professionals to prevent political meddling. This situation seems poised to prolong the standoff between the Afghan central bank and the international banking system.

Source » devdiscourse.com