Afghanistan wants the return of billions of dollars in frozen assets. The funds were seized by overseas banks after the Taliban took control four years ago. The country's economic development has been hampered by international isolation.

Kabul

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the country has experienced a period of relative peace but continues to face significant international isolation. While daily life has stabilized in some areas, such as banking, Afghanistan remains largely disconnected from the global financial system, with billions in central bank reserves still frozen abroad.

International funding has been reduced, particularly after a recent cut in U.S. aid, compounding economic challenges as millions of Afghan migrants return from neighboring countries. The Taliban government is now seeking to re-engage with international donors and partners, but concerns over its policies, especially regarding the rights of girls and women, continue to hinder broader acceptance.

Taliban looking to reverse international isolation

This was Kabul airport four years ago, just after the government had fled, leaving the Taliban unexpectedly in control and trying to hold back crowds looking for any flight out. In the years since, people have continued to leave in large numbers, but regular daily flights are bringing people both ways. The most important difference in the last four years is the pause in war. Suleiman bin Shah is a former deputy minister of industry and commerce from the previous government. He stayed in the presidential palace until an hour before these first Taliban fighters entered to take control. And he has stayed in the country ever since, now running an international business consultancy that also advises the current Afghan government, with a focus on reconnecting with the rest of the world. I think we really need to accept Afghanistan as a whole, and we cannot just be choosy on a few things and ignore the rest. And I think that's kind of the relationship that Afghanistan expects from the world. There are strict limits on how much you can withdraw. These were the chaotic scenes outside one of Kabul's main banks four years ago, as people tried to withdraw their savings. Today, stability has returned to the banking sector, but it remains largely isolated from the global financial system. The more serious economic challenges are what you can't see, like the roughly $10 billion in central bank reserves still frozen overseas since the Taliban took control, and the general shunning of Afghanistan for its rules governing the lives of girls and women, seen as overly harsh by much of the rest of the world. The withholding of international funding was made worse earlier this year, with a sudden cutting off of aid from the U.S., leaving many organizations struggling. We looked at reaching out again to other donors and partners who have been supporting Afghanistan, either financially or technically. And those needs only increase as Afghan migrants are forced to move back in their millions from neighboring Iran and Pakistan, countries struggling with their own problems, returning with extra economic burdens into a country short on solutions. Rob McBride, Al Jazeera, Kabul.

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New York

Middle East Conflict

UN set to reimpose sanctions on Iran on Saturday

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Washington County

House Democrats release more Epstein files

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Paris

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Washington

Former FBI chief James Comey charged

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Global Tariffs

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Istanbul

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Copenhagen

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Quantico

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Madrid

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Centralia

Feds seize 50,000 pills laced with drug 100 times stronger than fentanyl

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Beijing

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Manhattan

Ukraine Invasion

Rubio meets Russia's Lavrov after Trump shifts tone on Ukraine war

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Dallas

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Los Angeles

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Yangjiang

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Kowloon

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West Palm Beach

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Breakdown