John Sopko, the former U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), stated that the United States has spent over $21 billion on Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power.
Despite the suspension of U.S. foreign aid, Sopko revealed that the U.S. continues to send money to Afghanistan on a weekly basis. According to a SIGAR report from August 2024, Washington has provided approximately $21 billion in aid to Afghanistan since 2021, primarily for humanitarian assistance, refugee relocation and resettlement, and the repayment of Afghanistan’s foreign assets.
Speaking at the Herat Security Dialogue conference, Sopko noted that around $3.7 billion has been allocated to humanitarian matters in Afghanistan. He warned that if the Taliban does not alter its stance on women’s rights, education, and human rights, the U.S. may halt these funds entirely and divert $4 billion from Afghanistan’s trust fund in Switzerland to compensate victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
In 2024, SIGAR reported that out of the $20.71 billion disbursed since August 2021, $2.97 billion was allocated for humanitarian and development assistance. This included humanitarian aid ($2.029 billion), development projects ($458 million), agency operations ($316 million), and security funding ($100 million). However, SIGAR did not clarify the specifics of the “agency operations” and “security” expenditures in Afghanistan.
According to SIGAR’s findings, these funds have been channelled through U.S. international cooperation initiatives and United Nations agencies from October 2021 to June 2024.
Sopko has previously stated that a significant portion of U.S. financial aid has ended up in Taliban hands. In an interview with Fox Business on 6 February, he expressed concerns over the lack of oversight regarding U.S. financial assistance transferred through organisations such as the United Nations and the World Food Programme.
Additionally, Sopko has recommended that Congress terminate SIGAR operations after 30 September 2025 due to the reduction of U.S. aid to Afghanistan.
At the Herat Security Dialogue Conference, Sopko criticised the misrepresentation of Afghanistan’s situation by U.S. military and diplomatic officials, claiming that many had deliberately misled the public to secure promotions and increased funding.
He asserted that corruption within the former Afghan government, coupled with a lack of motivation in the fight against the Taliban, contributed to the collapse of the republic order in Afghanistan. However, he also highlighted that U.S. policies and decisions played a crucial role in Afghanistan’s downfall.
According to Sopko, American generals, diplomats, and contractors had been distorting the truth about their performance and the actual conditions in Afghanistan, prioritising their own career advancement over transparency.
Sopko warned that Afghanistan must prepare for a future with significantly reduced international aid. He emphasised that the new U.S. administration does not consider Afghanistan a strategic priority, leading to a decline in financial assistance—a trend he expects to continue.
