SIGAR Chief says US aid could be funding Taliban

KABUL (Khaama Press): The United States aid to Afghanistan may currently fund the de facto government of Kabul, said John Spoko, SIGAR Chief.
The US Congress heard from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), John Sopko. He said he could not say with assurance that US aid to Afghanistan was “not currently funding the Taliban.”
“While I agree, and we all agree Afghanistan faces a dire humanitarian and economic situation, it is critical that our assistance not be diverted by the Taliban,” SIGAR chief John Sopko said as he testified before the US House Oversight Committee. “Unfortunately, as I sit here today, I cannot assure this committee or the American taxpayer we are not currently funding the Taliban,” said Sopko.
“Nor can I assure you that the Taliban are not diverting the money we are sending from the intended recipients, the poor Afghan people,” he added.
He added that since Mr Biden withdrew US forces from Afghanistan in 2021 after 20 years of fighting there, the Taliban’s attempt to retake control of Kabul has drawn more attention to Sigar.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has tried to channel funding into Afghanistan through non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the international community rather than interacting directly with the Taliban authorities.
SIGAR warns in its most recent report that aids to the Afghan people could be diverted before it reaches its intended recipient if there are no US observers on the ground to monitor the use of the cash.
Meanwhile, Mr Biden and his Democratic Party accuse the late President Donald Trump of reaching a deal with the Taliban that virtually guaranteed a quick withdrawal with little time to spare.
The deal has set the conditions that led to the disastrous 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.