KABUL: The United States has frozen Afghan central bank reserves in US accounts, depriving the Taliban of billions of dollars.

“Any central bank assets the Afghan government have in the United States will not be made available to the Taliban,” a US administration official said.

The administration of President Joe Biden made the decision over the weekend as the Taliban seized the capital, Kabul, on August 15 following a blistering offensive that swept up cities and toppled the Western-backed government.

According to the International Monetary Fund, the Da Afghanistan Bank’s gross reserves totaled $9.4 billion at the end of April.