Taliban’s Claim of Not Receiving U.S. Aid Contradicts SIGAR Report

While the Taliban deny receiving any financial aid from the U.S., local reports indicate that a significant portion of humanitarian assistance is being seized by Taliban governors and commanders and used for their forces.

SIGAR’s Latest Report: Billions in U.S. Aid to Afghanistan

According to a new report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the U.S. provided approximately $885 million in aid to Afghanistan in the first 10 months of 2024.
Since the beginning of 2022 until September 2024, this amount has reached $2.5 billion.

Although the Taliban claim they have not received any U.S. assistance, the report reveals that this aid is indirectly entering Afghanistan’s economy and strengthening the Taliban’s financial resources.

Humanitarian Aid or Indirect Taliban Funding?

✔ More than 2,500 international aid organizations remain active in Afghanistan.
✔ 80,000 people, under Taliban approval, benefit from these aid programs.
✔ Taliban claim they receive no assistance from the U.S., yet reports suggest that their governors and commanders are controlling a large portion of the aid and using it for their forces.

Taliban’s Contradictory Stance

🔹 The Taliban have repeatedly denied receiving direct aid from the U.S., claiming that these funds only reach Afghan people through humanitarian organizations.
🔹 While the group has imposed restrictions on foreign organizations, SIGAR’s report indicates that thousands of aid agencies continue to operate in Afghanistan.
🔹 The U.S. presents its funds as humanitarian aid, but the report highlights the Taliban’s misuse of these resources.

Conclusions and Key Questions

✔ SIGAR’s report confirms that the U.S. continues to provide financial support to Afghanistan, despite the Taliban’s denials.
✔ This aid, which is supposedly meant for Afghan civilians, is instead ending up in the hands of Taliban commanders and funding their forces.
✔ This raises new concerns about the international community’s engagement with the Taliban and the effectiveness of aid distribution in Afghanistan.