US eases trade with Afghanistan despite Taliban sanctions

By BEN FOX
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is seeking to assure financial institutions and other businesses that U.S. sanctions on the Taliban aren’t intended to interfere with trade that could help Afghanistan emerge from an economic and humanitarian crisis. The Treasury Department on Friday issued a so-called general license to expand the authorization for commercial and financial transactions in Afghanistan. Their hope is to help the Afghan people but not the Taliban. Officials say the action is intended to restart some of the commercial activity that shut down after the fall of the the U.S.-backed government to the Taliban in August.