RASC News Agency: John Sopko, the former U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), has disclosed that Washington allocated $21 billion to Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power. Speaking at the Herat Security Dialogue in Madrid on Tuesday, February 25, Sopko revealed that $3.7 billion of this sum had been directed toward humanitarian aid within the country. Despite this substantial financial commitment, Sopko emphasized that U.S. assistance has had no tangible impact on curbing the Taliban’s oppressive policies against women and human rights abuses. He stated:
“The humanitarian aid provided to Afghanistan has failed to influence the Taliban’s stance on women, children, education, or human rights in any meaningful way.” Previously, Sopko had raised concerns that a significant portion of U.S. financial assistance had ultimately fallen into the hands of the Taliban. In a February 7 interview with Fox Business, he revealed that American funds were being funneled into Afghanistan through organizations such as the United Nations and the World Food Programme, yet there was no effective oversight regarding their allocation or usage.
Sopko also urged Congress to terminate SIGAR’s operations after September 30, 2025, citing the reduction of U.S. aid to Afghanistan as a reason for its closure. Earlier this year, he made a scathing remark, declaring that American taxpayer money was ending up in the pockets of “a bunch of terrorists” in Afghanistan.
A Critical Question: Is the Taliban an American Intelligence Project? Washington’s continued financial engagement with Afghanistan under Taliban rule raises a pressing question: If the United States remains committed to funding a regime it once classified as an adversary, does this suggest that the Taliban is, in reality, an American intelligence asset operating within Afghanistan and the broader region?
