8am: Following the United States announcement of transferring $3.6 billion of Afghanistan’s central bank reserves to a trust fund in Switzerland, the establishment of this fund has sparked varied reactions. Certain political factions and economic experts argue that the fund lacks a legal framework, potentially enabling Taliban access to these assets. They point out that
8am: The relationship between the United States and the Taliban group which is becoming more intricate with each passing day has gone through a U-turn. The Taliban, historically labeled as a terrorist group and an enemy of the United States, has now been unofficially elevated to the level of a government by Washington and has
Ariana: The US Inspector General for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan (SIGAR) John Sopko said Tuesday the Islamic Emirate [Taliban] is diverting or otherwise benefitting from a considerable amount of U.S. assistance. Testifying at a hearing before the Committee on Foreign Affairs US House of Representatives, Sopko shared how US funds have been provided to or
Tolo News: A former US diplomat and current professor at the City University of New York, Annie Pforzheimer, in a piece for World Politics Review wrote that the “administration of US President Joe Biden has quietly begun to soften Washington’s stance on the Taliban as a sponsor of terrorism, despite an authoritative report by United
8am: This group has not condemned or praised the parties involved. Specifically, the Taliban did not call Hamas a liberation movement like the Turkish authorities, nor did they call Israel a usurper and infanticidal regime like the Islamic Republic of Iran. Notably, the stance of the forces opposing the Taliban is firmer than this group
Reuters: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on November 3 that some Western weapons supplied to Ukraine were finding their way to the Middle East through the illegal arms market and being “sold to the Taliban and from there they go on to wherever. Click here to read more (external link).
Khaama: The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, known as SIGAR, has stated that even two years after the complete withdrawal of international forces, the United States remains the most significant contributor to Afghanistan’s reconstruction efforts. In the quarterly report on November 1st, released for presentation to the U.S. Congress, it was revealed that the
8am: The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has uncovered that the Taliban indirectly access U.S. educational assistance, generating tax revenues for the group. The report highlights the taxation of the income of employees of U.S.-funded educational programs and the tax revenue generated from the sale of American aid items by the Taliban.
Bloomberg: Unemployment is rampant, two-thirds of households struggle to afford basic items and inflation has turned into deflation, according to a World Bank report. Planeloads of US dollars arrived almost weekly from the United Nations to support the poor, some of up to $40 million, for at least 18 months since the end of 2021.
Akmal Dawi VOA News September 7, 2023 WASHINGTON — The Taliban, facing international sanctions and a dire economic outlook at home, have intensified efforts to leverage Afghanistan’s vast natural resources. From oil to copper, gold and lithium, the Islamist leadership, unrecognized by any nation as Afghanistan’s legitimate government, has inked multibillion-dollar mining deals with Chinese and