A New York judge has ruled that claimants of $3.5 billion in restitution for the 9/11 terrorist attack cannot be garnished from Afghanistan’s central bank.
The Tuesday ruling by Judge George Daniels of the Southern District of New York cited lack of jurisdiction by federal courts to seize the funds from the bank to pay the families of 9/11 victims who won their lawsuit against the Taliban earlier.
In his 30-page opinion, Daniels said, “The Taliban — not the former Islamic Republic of Afghanistan or the Afghan people — must pay for the Taliban’s liability in the 9/11 Attacks.”
Daniels also said he was “constitutionally restrained” from awarding the assets to the families because it would effectively mean recognizing the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, according to Agence France-Presse.
The assets, held in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, were frozen on 15 August 2021 — the day the Taliban entered Kabul and toppled the US-backed Afghan government. US President Joe Biden later said the money could be made available to the families of 9/11 victims.
Since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, no nation has recognized it as Afghanistan’s government — including the United States.