Afghan Embassy in Dushanbe Refuses to Return Taliban $800,000 Sent by Former Government

DUSHANBE (Sputnik) - The Afghan Embassy in Dushanbe has denied the Taliban* the return of $800,000 that were sent from Kabul in the last days of the presidency of Ashraf Ghani, Afghan Ambassador Muhammad Zahir Agbar said on Friday.

According to Pajhwok Afghan News, after Ghani fled the country to take refuge in the United Arab Emirates, then Afghan government transferred $786,000 to the embassy in Dushanbe. The Taliban sent a letter demanding that the money be returned to Kabul.

"The Taliban have no right to demand the return of this amount of almost $800,000, since the Afghan Embassy is the official diplomatic department of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and therefore different amounts are received here, about which the Taliban have no right to ask questions," the ambassador told reporters.

He also recalled that the embassy did not recognize the Taliban.

"We do not officially recognize the Taliban, like almost the whole world, and who are they to demand that we return the money of the legitimate government? Now we [the embassy] are one small Afghanistan with a large number of our citizens living and working here. About 10,000 Afghans, whom we can help, live and work in Dushanbe," the diplomat said.

The Taliban entered Kabul on 15 August. On 7 September, the movement announced the composition of the interim government of Afghanistan. It is headed by Mohammad Hasan Akhund, who served as a foreign minister during the first Taliban rule. Akhund has been under UN sanctions since 2001.

*Organization is under UN sanctions over terrorist activities