RASC News Agency: Mohammad Mohaqiq, former Deputy Chief Executive of Afghanistan and a vocal opponent of the Taliban, has welcomed the recent decision by the U.S. House of Representatives to terminate financial assistance to the Taliban regime, describing it as a “step toward restoring political balance” in Afghanistan. In a statement issued following the vote, Mohaqiq emphasized that for nearly four years, the Taliban have used financial resources many originating from U.S. taxpayers to fuel repression, violate citizens’ rights, and entrench their rule by force. He asserted that halting this indirect support could weaken the Taliban’s apparatus of oppression and help pave the way for constructive political and social transformation within the country.
On Monday, the U.S. House passed a bill titled the “No Tax Dollars for the Taliban Act”, aimed at preventing American taxpayer money from reaching terrorist groups through humanitarian aid channels. The legislation comes amid growing concern that U.S. aid, though intended for humanitarian purposes, has been co-opted by the Taliban to sustain their regime and suppress dissent. The bill’s lead sponsor, Congressman Tim Burchett, claimed that the Biden administration had been sending an average of $40 million per week to Afghanistan, and that portions of those funds were ending up directly or indirectly in the Taliban’s hands.
Mohaqiq strongly endorsed the measure, stating:
“The Taliban have exploited international aid to intensify oppression against the people of Afghanistan. Ending these flows of funding is a timely and vital move that will undermine their control and create space for an authentic political process to emerge.”
This legislative action coincides with increasing international scrutiny of the Taliban’s human rights record and growing domestic efforts to forge a political solution that reflects the will of Afghanistan’s people not the dictates of a radicalized and unaccountable regime. Analysts suggest that Mohaqiq’s statement reflects a broader consensus among pro-democracy figures in exile and within resistance movements inside Afghanistan, who view international aid flowing under Taliban oversight as a strategic liability, not a humanitarian achievement. As the global community debates its future engagement with Afghanistan, Mohaqiq and others have repeatedly warned that financial assistance must be restructured to bypass the Taliban entirely, and instead be routed through transparent, community-based, and accountable channels especially in the health, education, and food sectors.
Observers note that the Taliban have repeatedly used access to aid as a tool of coercion and political leverage, distributing resources based on ideological loyalty rather than human need, and excluding vulnerable groups particularly women and ethnic minorities from critical services. The passage of this bill is widely seen as a clear signal from Washington that impunity and repression in Afghanistan will no longer be subsidized, and that any future support must be tied to measurable commitments to human rights, pluralism, and democratic principles.
