On February 2, 2022, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) “designed to provide clarity” and further facilitate humanitarian aid and commercial activity in Afghanistan. These FAQs supplement and support the December 2021 Fact Sheet, Provision of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan and Support for the Afghan People, issued by OFAC to “ensure that humanitarian assistance and other support to the Afghan people … can continue to flow directly to Afghanistan through legitimate and transparent channels.” The Fact Sheet notes that OFAC has issued six General Licenses to date authorizing certain transactions and activities that are “ordinarily incident and necessary to allow for the continued flow of humanitarian assistance and other activities to support the people of Afghanistan.” It further notes that although the Taliban and the Haqqani Network are designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), there are currently no broad OFAC sanctions that prohibit the export or reexport of goods or services to Afghanistan, moving or sending money into and out of Afghanistan, or activities in Afghanistan, provided that such transactions or activities do not involve sanctioned individuals, entities, or property in which sanctioned individuals and entities have an interest.

The additional FAQs released on February 2 are intended to provide additional clarity to help nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) efforts to deliver their services and for financial institutions to process those legitimate transactions. The seven new Frequently Asked Questions are available at the below links: