RASC News Agency: The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has reported that the Taliban have received $1.6 billion from the United States and over $10 million in taxes from U.S.-affiliated aid organizations. In the latest report released on Monday, May 20, SIGAR stated that the Taliban have collected $10.9 million in taxes from these aid organizations, which have been reviewed as payments for public services.
The report further noted that since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, from October 2021 to September 2023, the United States has sent over $1.6 billion to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. This amount represents only 63% of the total financial aid the United States has provided to Afghanistan over the past two decades. The SIGAR report gathered information from 144 aid organizations that have operated in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s ascension to power.
Several aid organizations informed SIGAR that failing to pay taxes to the Taliban could result in the closure of their bank accounts and offices, and their removal from the list of authorized organizations allowed to operate in Afghanistan. The aid organizations have also stated that the Taliban interfere with their relief efforts, often diverting a significant portion of aid to themselves and their associates.
Moreover, the Taliban exert undue influence in hiring processes within these organizations, and any resistance from the aid organizations is met with threats of closure and physical violence against their staff.
