According to a recent report published by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the Taliban is siphoning off millions in U.S. aid earmarked for Aghani education programs in the wake of the Biden Administration’s botched withdrawal.
“For example, an NGO official told us the Taliban are targeting and extorting Afghans who receive monetary support from U.S.-funded education programs under the guise of taxation,” the report states. “In another example, NGO officials told SIGAR that the Taliban are coercing NGOs to hire Taliban supporters or purchase goods from Taliban-owned companies.”
Prior to Biden’s withdrawal, the U.S. had pumped more than $1.3 billion into efforts to improve Afghanistan’s education system —and, for the most part, it worked! After the botched pull-out, however, the money continued to flow with little-to-no oversight.
And terrorists looted the coffers.
According to Judicial Watch, “Since the terrorist group returned to power in August 2021, Uncle Sam has continued to fund Afghanistan’s education sector through six programs that cost $185.2 million even though the Taliban has issued decrees drastically limiting access to education for girls and women as well as restricting women’s ability to work and other basic freedoms.”
And what happened to the schools?
“A USAID survey found that since August 2021, girls’ secondary school attendance decreased in every province in Afghanistan, including Kabul,” the SIGAR report states. “Even boys’ secondary school attendance decreased by more than 10 percent in eight provinces. In addition, a chancellor of one private university told SIGAR that immediately following August 2021, the university lost 50 percent of its enrolled students and that all woman’s educational programs at the university, except for its midwifery program, closed due to Taliban policies.”
The Islamic Emirate Afghanistan (IEA) has denied that the Taliban is stealing education funds, insisting that the IEA acts in the best interest of Afghanistan.
“The claims made by SIGAR regarding Afghanistan are far from reality,” according to the IEA’s deputy spokesman quoted in the article. “The Islamic Emirate makes all decisions and manages affairs in Afghanistan based on its principles and the nation’s welfare.”
That sounds like another way to say “we’ll spend it on what we want.”
