US Secretary of State Urged To Halt Assistance To Afghanistan

Fox News reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been urged to suspend American aid to Afghanistan.

According to the report, this request followed revelations that nearly $300 million in US aid may have ended up in the hands of the Taliban.

Previously, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported that two State Department bureaus failed to prove their compliance with counterterrorism vetting.

Two days ago, Senator Mike Braun sent a letter to Blinken calling the report "deeply alarming" and requested that US aid to Afghanistan be halted until the issue is addressed.

Braun added that the State Department's failure to adhere to anti-terrorism inspection standards "has strengthened and enriched the Taliban and its terrorist affiliates”.

He also emphasised that when funds intended for humanitarian and developmental purposes end up supporting terrorism and perpetuating violence and instability, it undermines US national security.

"It is imperative that the State take immediate remedial and comprehensive action to rectify these issues to prevent similar occurrences in the future”, said Braun.

This request to halt US aid to Afghanistan comes amid a SIGAR report stating that the US has provided approximately $21 billion in aid to Afghanistan over the past three years.

SIGAR noted that this aid was allocated for humanitarian assistance, development projects, the transfer and resettlement of refugees from Afghanistan to the US, and the repayment of Afghanistan's foreign assets.