Ending a stiff stance against the Taliban government in Afghanistan, the Biden administration issued what it called broad authorisations to ensure that the United Nations, American government agencies and aid groups provide humanitarian relief to Afghanistan without running foul of sanctions against the Taliban.
The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released three licences today, allowing US government officials and international agencies, including the UN, to conduct official business with the Taliban and Haqqani Network. It also authorised NGOs to deal with the two US-blacklisted Afghan groups on activities involving humanitarian projects.
The US move came as Afghanistan faced an economic meltdown since the Taliban seized control of the country in August. The crisis has left nearly 23 million people facing acute food insecurity, according to the World Food Programme.
Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said the US is “committed to supporting” Afghans amid the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the country.
“Treasury has provided broad authorizations that ensure NGOs, international organizations, and the US government can continue to provide relief to those in need,” Adeyemo said in a statement.
The country had long been dependent on foreign aid and most of its foreign assets were frozen after the Taliban takeover. The humanitarian crises have been made worse by the continuing surge of COVID-19 with the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
Earlier on Wednesday, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
