RASC News Agency: Recently, the U.S. Congress has created a considerable uproar over the transfer of power to the Taliban and the group’s extremist, misogynistic policies in Afghanistan. Many were swept up in this clamor, without fully understanding the essence of U.S. policies toward Afghanistan and the region. In the end, however, it became clear that the entire controversy was primarily about securing the release of two American citizens held in Taliban custody. A member of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill that makes U.S. aid to Afghanistan contingent upon the release of American citizens detained by the Taliban. Crucially, the bill fails to address the Taliban’s ethnic, religious, gender-based, or sectarian policies. Once the American detainees are freed, U.S. aid to the group is expected to flow even more freely than it already does.
Reports indicate that the U.S. currently provides $40 million monthly to stabilize Afghanistan’s currency and markets, and an additional $160 million each month to bolster the Taliban’s security forces. Many women, political movements, and international organizations attribute the Taliban’s continued human rights abuses, atrocities, and repressive policies directly to U.S. financial support. Despite widespread condemnation, the continuation of these funds now hinges on the release of three American nationals.
The detainees Ryan Corbett, George Golzman, and Mahmood Shah Habibi have been held by the Taliban for months, despite Washington’s repeated efforts to secure their release. The Taliban have yet to officially confirm the detention of Mr. Habibi, who holds dual U.S. and Afghanistani citizenship. The Taliban have proposed a swap, offering to exchange the American detainees for Taliban members held in U.S. prisons. Corbett was detained in August 2022, Golzman in December 2022, and Habibi was arrested a day after the killing of former al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul’s Sherpour neighborhood. The Taliban accused Habibi’s employer of aiding the U.S. government in targeting al-Zawahiri, although they have not formally acknowledged Habibi’s arrest.
The new bill, introduced by Republican Representative Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania, mandates that the U.S. State Department provide regular updates on American citizens detained by the Taliban. Speaking to Fox News, Meuser expressed concern over the $2.6 billion in U.S. aid to Afghanistan since the Taliban’s takeover, arguing that these funds intended as humanitarian assistance are effectively being handed over to a terrorist group. “We must explore every possible option, including freezing financial aid, to secure the release of Ryan and George,” Meuser said, notably omitting any mention of Mr. Habibi, whose detention remains unverified by the Taliban. A former CIA officer has claimed that Habibi was handed over to al-Qaeda.
Previously, a group of Republican lawmakers had introduced a separate bill, which sought to halt U.S. cash aid to Afghanistan over concerns that the Taliban were benefiting from these funds. The bill also aims to block federal agencies from sending direct monetary aid to Afghanistan or from using U.S. taxpayer dollars to finance U.N. assistance for the country, unless specific conditions are met. Today, it is widely understood that the Taliban is, in effect, an American-backed project one that will continue to receive U.S. support until such time as it is replaced by another.
