Former Taliban Member Received $132,000 From US Institute of Peace

The United States Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has revealed that the US Institute of Peace (USIP) spent approximately $13 million on personal expenses over the past decade.

Among the expenditures was a payment of $132,000 to Mohammad Qasem Halimi—a former Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs in the previous Afghan government and a former member of the Taliban.

In a statement published on the social media platform X on Tuesday, 1 April, DOGE did not disclose the purpose of the payment or how the funds were used by Halimi. He was also identified as having served as the chief of protocol for the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry during its first regime.

The Department of Government Efficiency was established by former President Donald Trump with the mandate to streamline and reduce the size of the federal government. Since returning to office in January 2025, the Trump administration has suspended all foreign aid, including projects funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), for a 90-day review period. The move has resulted in the cancellation of numerous US-backed programmes.

According to DOGE, the US Institute of Peace received an annual allocation of $55 million from Congress, which the previous administration allegedly spent without sufficient oversight. The department claims that roughly $13 million was transferred to a private endowment, largely used for travel and private events.

In addition to the payment to Halimi, DOGE reported that more than $2.23 million was moved to the institute’s foreign accounts—information the agency says had been deleted but has now been recovered. It also cited further questionable expenditures, including $1.3 million to an Iraqi youth association and $675,000 on private aviation services.