The situation in Afghanistan remains deeply concerning, with the Biden administration and international donors continuing to provide substantial aid to a Taliban-controlled regime. Despite assurances that the aid is meant for humanitarian purposes, reports reveal a disturbing reality. Around $80 million in untraceable cash is funneled into Taliban coffers every two weeks, as the extremist group interferes with aid distribution and extorts funds from various sources.
Furthermore, the extremist group's exploitation of the aid system through fraudulent nonprofit organizations (NGOs) is alarming. By establishing fake NGOs, the Taliban diverts aid money intended to support education and humanitarian needs that never reach the populace, especially not females who are strictly prohibited from receiving a formal education enforced by Taliban militants.
The Taliban are Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). The Afghani Haqqani Network is designated as an SDGT and a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Under US Sanctions on the Taliban and Haqqani Network, the only legal transactions, under the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations, are “ordinarily incident and necessary to the exportation or re-exportation of agricultural commodities, medicine, medical devices, replacement parts, and components for medical devices, or software updates for medical devices to Afghanistan”. Are these cash deliveries designed to circumvent federal and international laws?
The United Nations' cash shipments to Afghanistan, averaging $80 million every 10 to 14 days, are supposed to be carefully monitored and audited. However, the known Taliban interference in humanitarian activities has intensified, with aid workers being arrested and forced to provide sensitive project data. The Taliban has even established fraudulent NGOs to receive donor assistance and infiltrated existing Afghan NGOs. Why didn’t the US and UN immediately cut off all funding for the first known offense?
Afghanistan stands as a nation grappling with a near-zero freedom index combined with over 90% of the population in absolute poverty. The oppressive dominance of the Taliban regime offers little room for self-reliance and economic freedom. International aid reinforces the Taliban's stranglehold on the Afghan population, perpetuating their suffering and limiting opportunities for growth and prosperity.
It's high time for the United States and the UN to withdraw their financial support, which inadvertently fuels extreme tyranny and terror in Afghanistan. Instead, they should facilitate and empower the Afghan people in their pursuit of self-reliance and true freedom. By ending this financial support, we can allow Afghanistan to chart its path toward a more prosperous and independent future while the Taliban's power dries up. Isn’t that the whole purpose of sanctions against tyrannical and terrorist government regimes?
