The Treasury Department announced Wednesday that it will permit certain groups to conduct business with the Taliban and a U.S.-designated terrorist organization in order to get humanitarian assistance to Afghans in need.
The United Nations has warned that the winter could be extremely deadly for Afghans, who are in dire need of food and other basic items.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Controls (OFAC) issued the three licenses, which allow nongovernmental organizations, the U.S. government, and international groups to conduct business with the Taliban and the Haqqani Network, a State Department-designated terrorist organization.
“The United States is the largest single provider of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan. We are committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan, which is why Treasury is taking these additional steps to facilitate assistance,” Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said in a statement Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, the economy faces grave challenges, exacerbated by the country’s long dependence on foreign aid, donor and private sector flight sparked by the Taliban’s takeover, drought, structural macroeconomic issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Treasury has provided broad authorizations that ensure NGOs, international organizations, and the U.S. government can continue to provide relief to those in need,” Adeyemo said.
The State Department said in a statement Wednesday that “U.S. sanctions on the Taliban remain in place.”
The Treasury Department didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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