US give $1.5b to Afghanistan so far

KABUL (TOLOnews): The Chargé d’Affaires of the US Mission to Afghanistan, Karen Decker, said that in the past eighteen months the US has contributed nearly $1.5 billion in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
Speaking at a virtual meeting, Decker noted that this aid has been spent on education, nutrition, health, and in the areas of internally displaced persons and the reintegration of immigrants.
“One of the most important, and I think really important thing, that I took away from the conversations we had in Dubai was the need for a really robust, ongoing set of discussions with the Afghan private sector,” Decker said.
According to Decker, Washington will continue its aid to Afghanistan to prevent a humanitarian crisis.
The Chargé d’Affaires of the US Mission to Afghanistan said she considered the Doha agreement unfulfilled and called for an intra-Afghan dialogue.
“I agree with you that the Doha agreements are unfinished, and that we still believe there is both a requirement for intra-Afghan dialogue to determine the future government for Afghanistan,” Decker added.
“Afghans’ internal issues are related to Afghans themselves. Internal and political issues should not be used as a means of political pressure. Political issues are distinct from these issues, and if there are any, the Islamic Emirate engages in active diplomacy and will resolve them through understanding,” said Bilal Karimi, the Islamic Emirate’s deputy spokesman.
Political analysts have diverse views on aid to Afghanistan.
“I’m sure we would have been in a lot worse situation if there hadn’t been assistance. Any kind of assistance is useful. Even if it’s a very modest sum of money, the arrival of aid and money has an impact on a nation’s economy,” said a political analyst Wali Frozan.
“Afghans, unfortunately, endure incredibly severe poverty, and I don’t believe that humanitarian aid can help to reduce this suffering. If that worked, the problems of the people would have been resolved in the last 20 years,” said Mohammad Salim Kakar, another political analyst.

Following the political shift in Afghanistan, the majority of US aid has been sent in packages of $40 million in cash under the heading of humanitarian assistance and each has been deposited in one of the country’s commercial banks.