RASC News Agency: On the first day of Eid al-Adha, the Taliban reportedly collected the equivalent of $100,000 USD from worshippers across the southern provinces of Helmand and Uruzgan, claiming the funds were being raised to support the people of Palestine. According to local sources who spoke to local sources on condition of anonymity, Taliban fighters and officials stationed themselves near major Eid prayer sites on Saturday, June 8, where they urged and, in some cases, pressured congregants to donate money under the banner of “solidarity with Palestine.” Similar operations have been reported in previous years and in other provinces including Herat, Parwan, and Panjshir, where Taliban members have used religious gatherings as fundraising platforms. While the group claims these collections are for humanitarian purposes abroad, no transparency has been provided on the mechanisms through which the funds are transferred, nor on the entities involved in the delivery.
“There is no clarity on how or whether this money ever reaches Palestinian civilians. What’s clear is that none of it is accounted for,” said a civil activist from Kandahar, questioning the legitimacy of Taliban-led fundraising efforts. The Taliban’s fundraising campaign comes at a time when Afghanistan itself is gripped by one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. According to UN estimates, more than 20 million Afghanistanis are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, and over 6 million are on the brink of famine. Public outrage is growing as citizens question the Taliban’s priorities. Many accuse the group of diverting public attention through symbolic foreign campaigns, while neglecting the catastrophic domestic conditions caused largely by their own authoritarian rule and economic mismanagement.
“We are starving in our own homeland, and the Taliban is asking us to fund others while we are left to rot in poverty,” said one Kabul resident in a message to local sources. “Charity begins at home. What about the children dying here every day?” Economists and humanitarian experts have long warned that the Taliban’s isolationist policies, internal repression, and lack of financial transparency have not only worsened the economic collapse but have also triggered a mass exodus of skilled professionals and capital from the country. Furthermore, the Taliban’s continued interference in international humanitarian operations has led to a sharp decline in foreign aid, which once served as a lifeline for millions of vulnerable citizens. International agencies have increasingly struggled to distribute food, health supplies, and education support independently, often facing Taliban-imposed restrictions or outright appropriation of aid.
“This is a regime that weaponizes both religion and humanitarian aid to serve its own political ends,” said a regional analyst. “Their so-called support for Palestine is more about image-making than compassion.” Despite repeated calls by the international community for financial transparency, the Taliban has refused to disclose any detailed accounting of donations it collects whether for internal purposes or in the name of foreign causes. Observers say this raises serious concerns about misuse, corruption, or even potential diversion of funds to armed networks.
The group’s use of Eid gatherings occasions typically reserved for peace, charity, and community unity has further drawn condemnation from Afghanistani civil society leaders, who warn that such tactics exploit religious sentiment to distract from the country’s internal collapse.
