WASHINGTON: Amid pre-existing concerns that weapons and ammunition left over from the United States’ hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan are being used by militants, a US watchdog has warned that Washington’s aid could benefit terrorists in the war-torn country.
A report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said two US State Department offices could not demonstrate compliance with internal policies for vetting aid groups in Afghanistan that received $293 million in funding.
The revelation comes as the US remains the biggest aid donor to impoverished Afghanistan nearly three years after the Taliban overran Kabul as the last US troops completed a chaotic withdrawal after 20 years of war.
“It is important for the state to know who actually benefits from this aid to prevent aid from being diverted to the Taliban or other sanctioned parties,” the SIGAR report said.
The report is in line with concerns expressed by Pakistan, which has repeatedly complained about the use of US weapons by banned outfits, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
In March, Geo News reported that details regarding weapons and equipment seized by security forces indicated that militants had been using US-made weapons in their attacks inside Pakistan in recent months.
SIGAR said three of the five State Department offices were found to be in compliance with department regulations that require vetting of aid recipients.
However, the Office for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor and the Office on International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs could not provide sufficient documentation to demonstrate compliance.
“The state could not demonstrate compliance with its partner vetting requirements for awards that paid out at least $293 million in Afghanistan,” it continued.
Because of this, “there is an increased risk that terrorists and terrorist-related individuals and entities may illicitly benefit,” he said.
