欧美文化:Afghan industrialists denounce Biden's decision as unjust, call for assets return from U.S

KABUL, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines has described the recent decision of U.S. President Joe Biden on Afghanistan's frozen assets as unjust, and called for the return of the assets.

"On behalf of 5,000 factories and hundreds of mine extracting companies, I today describe the recent decision of President Biden as unjust and stealing our national assets and we denounce it," acting chairman of the association Al-Hajj Sakhi Ahmad Paiman told reporters.

Paiman said some 400,000 people directly and around 1.5 million others indirectly are working for the factories, mines and businesses run by the Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines.

The United States, following its completion of forces evacuation in August last year, has frozen more than 9 billion U.S. dollars assets of Afghanistan's central bank, which led to economic crisis and poverty in the war-torn country.

Biden reportedly in a decree issued on Friday allocated 3.5 billion of the sum to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

"America claims itself as a defender of human rights and freedom. The claim would be undermined at home and abroad if it continues to hold or steal Afghanistan's assets under any pretext," Paiman said.

On Tuesday, thousands of Afghans staged demonstrations, denouncing Biden's decision and demanding the return of the frozen assets to the war-torn country.