8am: U.S. and international financial aid to Afghanistan is helping strengthen the Taliban’s power, former Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John F. Sopko revealed. “The Taliban have cynically benefited from our desire to help,” Sopko said at the Herat Security Dialogue XII in Madrid, Spain, last week. “Our assistance has allowed the regime to
Afghanistan International: John Sopko, the former U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), stated that the United States has spent over $21 billion on Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power. Despite the suspension of U.S. foreign aid, Sopko revealed that the U.S. continues to send money to Afghanistan on a weekly basis. According
Ayaz Gul VOA News January 20, 2025 Ayaz Gul — President-elect Donald Trump says that future financial assistance to Afghanistan will be contingent upon the return of U.S. military equipment by the Taliban leaders currently in power. Trump’s remarks at a Sunday rally in Washington on the eve of his January 20 inauguration have heightened uncertainty
Tolo News: Tim Burchett, Vice Chair of US Congress’ Foreign Affairs Committee, has introduced a bill to ensure that US taxpayers’ money does not fall into the hands of the Islamic Emirate. The Vice Chair of US Congress’ Foreign Affairs Committee, announced that the bill would require the US State Department to formulate a policy
The Spectator: Since withdrawing, the United States has pumped in more than $20 billion in aid. Separately, tens of millions of dollars are delivered monthly in cash, ostensibly for humanitarian organisations, though much is pilfered by the Taliban. Click here to read more (external link).
Fox News: Secretary of State Antony Blinken is being called on to freeze aid to Afghanistan following revelations that the assistance could be going to the Taliban. A recent report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), a government entity conducting oversight of U.S. aid to the country, determined that two of five
Afghanistan International: Amrullah Saleh, the former Vice-President of Afghanistan, has claimed that Mullah Hibatullah, the leader of the Taliban, is fearful of Kabul. In an interview with the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Saleh stated, “Mullah Hibatullah fears Kabul, where the majority of the population is not Pashtun, and the residents are highly critical of the
Afghanistan International: Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported that Washington has provided approximately $21 billion in aid to Afghanistan since 2021. According to SIGAR, this funding has been allocated for humanitarian aid, the relocation and resettlement of refugees, and the repayment of Afghanistan’s foreign assets. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: The Taliban’s utilization of humanitarian aid presents one of the challenging issues for countries assisting Afghanistan under the rule of this group. Citizens of these countries urge their governments not to allow their taxes to fall into the hands of the Taliban and other terrorist groups. Some countries providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan have
ProPublica: The United Nations has delivered more than $2.9 billion in cash to Afghanistan since the Taliban seized control, resulting in the flow of U.S. funds to the extremist group, according to a recent government report. The U.N. deposits the cash into a private Afghan bank and disburses funds to the agency’s aid organizations and