9/11 Victims Cannot Seize Afghan Central Bank Funds, Rules US Judge

"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," said Judge George Daniels of the Southern District of New York.

The families of victims of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks cannot seize $3.5 billion in funds belonging to Afghanistan's central bank, a New York federal judge ruled Tuesday.

The assets, held in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, were frozen on August 15, 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.

A group of families -- who years earlier sued the Taliban for their losses and won -- has since moved to seize the funds to pay off the judgment debt.