US Assistance to Afghanistan ‘Does Not Benefit Taliban’: Spokesman

Earlier, SIGAR said that there were 133 access incident reports in January 2023.

US State Department’s deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel at a press briefing responded to a question about the latest Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction report, saying “US assistance in Afghanistan does not benefit the Taliban.”

 

According to the SIGAR’s report, the incidents included one aid worker being injured, 15 aid workers arrested, Islamic Emirate authorities conducting a search of an NGO, and 42 incidents where women could not access work.

“We are confident that US assistance to Afghanistan does not benefit the Taliban,” Patel said. “We continue to be the largest humanitarian donor to Afghanistan, and we are very confident in the mechanisms that we have in place – working with the UN, working with other entities in the region – to ensure that the aid that we do provide does not in any way benefit the Taliban, and instead goes towards the people of Afghanistan, who our commitment to continues to endure.”

Deputy Minister of Economy said that the Islamic Emirate has the role of monitoring policy.

“The Islamic Emirate is only monitoring the aid delivery and there is no interference in the activities of aid agencies,” said Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy.

Analysts said international aid is not being provided transparently in Afghanistan.

“Even if there is no corruption, half of the fund is provided to the people who deserve it and its benefits is not widely reaching the people,” said Azraksh Hafizi, an analyst.

Meanwhile, the Chinese special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong said the US should take responsibility for reconstruction of Afghanistan.

“The US must take responsibility for reconstruction of Afghanistan’s current and future because the 20 years of military invasion of the US caused big problems. We alongside other countries called on the US to release the Afghanistan’s assets,” he told the CCTV.

This comes as a top US aid official, quoted by Reuters, said that the Afghan people are in for a “very difficult year ahead,” as donors grapple with challenging the current administration “crackdown on women and girls, more crises around the world and overall less funding.”

US Assistance to Afghanistan ‘Does Not Benefit Taliban’: Spokesman