Victims of the September 11 attacks do not have the right to seize $3.5 billion (about €3.3 billion) in assets belonging to Afghanistan's central bank.
This was established by a US judge, according to reports from the BBC.
The victims' lawyers had asked to recoup the Afghan bank arguing that the compensation funds would satisfy the court rulings obtained against the Taliban.
At the time of the 2001 attacks, the Taliban had allowed al-Qaeda militants to operate from Afghanistan.
Judge George Daniels said the constitution prevents him from approving access to the funds frozen by the United States because that would amount to establishing that the Taliban is the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
Indeed, the Biden administration has not recognized the Taliban, which means that not even the US courts have the power to do so.
"Victims have a right to compensation for the worst terrorist attack in our nation's history, but they cannot do so with funds from Afghanistan's central bank," Judge Daniels wrote in the ruling.
