Insight - Afghan central bank’s US$10bil not all within reach of Taliban

People pray in a vigil for Afghanistan outside the West LA Federal Building in Los Angeles, California, U.S. August 17, 2021. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu

THE insurgent Taliban took over Afghanistan with astonishing speed, but it appears unlikely that it will prove equally as fast in gaining control of most of the Afghan central bank’s roughly US$10bil (RM42.43bil) in assets.

The country’s central bank, Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), is thought to hold foreign currency, gold and other treasures in its vaults, though the exact contents are unclear, according to an Afghan official.