The Taliban won militarily, but governing is something else. This is how Ajmal Ahmady, the governor of the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), the central bank that guards the country's financial assets, in particular gold bars, US government bonds and 21 Bactrian gold jewels, had tweeted in a cryptic way. Now, however, all these reserves, with a total value of almost 10 billion dollars (about half of the Afghan GDP) are held in foreign current accounts, mainly in US banks, which they were frozen by decision of OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control), the agency of the US Treasury Department which has decided to ban the circulation of the dollar in Kabul. So for the Taliban, who are now occupying government buildings, the difficulty comes now: "I think they will be able to access a maximum of 0,1%-0,2% of the reserves," Ahmady added on Twitter.
The new regime, which however should instead have managed to recover about 372 million dollars in foreign currency parked in the various DAB offices in the country and 160 million dollars in gold bars and silver coins kept in the basement of the presidential palace in Kabul has enormous need for that treasure: for "current affairs" the money is there, but according to the World Bank, the treasure that "fled" from Afghanistan and seized would alone be enough to pay for all imports of which the Asian country, on which it now also looms the nightmare of inflation, needs for 15 months. So for the moment the Taliban have to pay the price for the strategy of financial isolation, wanted above all by the USA while and by the Western international community, which is already taking steps to block aid to the country. Something like four billion a year, which guarantees 22% of gross domestic product and 75% of public expenditure. On 23 August, the International Monetary Fund should have handed over a check for 445 million in Kabul as a distribution of the redemption rights among the shareholders. However, the top management of the IMF suspended the payment "in the light of the lack of clarity on the recognition of the provisional government by the international community".
