Afghanistan Has Received $11B In Aid Since Disastrous Biden Withdrawal

(FamilyConservationPAC.com) – On Monday, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko released his latest report.

According to the report, since the Taliban took power and President Joe Biden’s disastrous retreat in 2021, the U.S. and its allies have been supporting the Afghan economy with “cash shipments” totaling $80 million that “arrive in Kabul every 10-14 days.”

Since then, the United States has given Afghanistan and its refugees more than $11 billion in aid.

Sopko cited guarantees from the United Nations that the funds are not “deposited in the central bank or provided to the Taliban,” but are instead “placed in designated U.N. accounts in a private bank.”

The cash distributions are “carefully monitored, audited, inspected, and vetted in accordance with U.N. financial rules and processes,” according to the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

SIGAR refrained from delving into the contentious debate surrounding the transferability of foreign aid funds, which has erupted since the Biden administration offered Iran a $6 billion ransom in exchange for five hostages.

The Taliban government may allocate $3 billion towards its nefarious agenda if the U.S. and other governments stop spending $3 billion on providing food, housing, and medical care for Afghans.

Furthermore, even though humanitarian organizations accurately note that Afghanistan’s poorest citizens suffer from economic instability, the Taliban stands to gain from the economy that American taxpayers have spent a great deal of money “stabilizing.”

SIGAR did point out that the Taliban has a long history of “siphoning cash from U.N. shipments, or collecting royalties, or charging fees on cash shipments,” as well as of stealing foreign aid and preventing it from reaching oppressed minority communities.

The research stated that administrative fees paid to several Taliban ministries by the U.N., NGOs (non-governmental organizations), and other aid-related institutions were documented by the Taliban as inland revenue.

SIGAR warned that “violence against humanitarian personnel, assets, and facilities had a significant impact on the humanitarian response” in the most recent quarter and cited a U.N. official as saying that “Taliban interference into U.N. and NGO activities has continued to rise throughout 2023, limited beneficiary access to lifesaving assistance.”

Humanitarian organizations recorded 127 cases of access restrictions, including the Taliban’s 26 arrests of aid workers – a 73-percent increase in detentions compared to 2022.

Additionally, the Taliban has wanted “sensitive data”—including employee and beneficiary lists—from financially troubled humanitarian organizations.

According to SIGAR, “as a result, 49 U.N. humanitarian partner programs temporarily suspended operations in August, and 36 remained suspended as of September.” One of the key issues highlighted was “Taliban interference with staff recruitment.”

Additionally, the Taliban have tampered with U.S. government aid initiatives, imprisoning local employees for attempting to “avoid the diversion of aid to non-eligible individuals.”

Due to the Taliban’s persistent prejudice against female aid workers, only approximately 25% of humanitarian operations—which employ staff members of both sexes—are considered to be “fully operational.”

Despite early vows to be more moderate than the previous Taliban regime, SIGAR noted that the Taliban has aggressively “shaped governing institutions to serve their aims and cement power,” enforcing an “ultra-conservative and radical religious ideology based on its own harsh interpretation of Islam.”

“The de facto authorities have issued decrees and other declarations that intentionally discriminate against women and girls and restrict the people’s basic liberties. Human rights abuses are common, and those who commit them are rarely held accountable,” according to the U.N. human rights office, which was cited in SIGAR’s report.

The State Department stated that the Biden administration’s current strategy appears to be offering the Taliban complete diplomatic recognition and legitimacy as a reward for their “respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Afghans.”

The Taliban has chosen to cultivate business ties with China, a government that disregards Western notions of human rights.

The Biden administration’s engagement with China over “issues of mutual interest” and the continuous flow of millions of U.S. dollars into the Afghan economy make it difficult to argue that the Taliban doesn’t have control over the tense relationship.

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