Frustration and outrage are mounting among a bevy of prominent veterans over a report detailing how US currency is flowing into Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and propping up the regime that American soldiers fought against for decades.
Late last month, a government watchdog organization on Afghanistan released a report concluding that since December 2021, the United Nations alongside a constellation of other groups has helped funnel some $3.8 billion worth of US currency into the Taliban-led nation.
At times, this includes the UN literally flying US cash into Afghanistan through transportation firms, per the report.
While that money is typically then moved to UN partners in Afghanistan, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that the US cash flow has both “directly and indirectly” benefited the Taliban.
“The humanitarian assistance facilitated by the shipments provide indirect benefits to the Taliban by stabilizing and legitimizing them, because the funds allow the Taliban to focus on their priorities and policies instead of providing essential services to the Afghan people,” the SIGAR report explained.
