The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has accused the Taliban of seizing and misusing international aid through force and in collusion with United Nations officials.
In its latest report, SIGAR said the Taliban, in coordination with UN personnel, extort humanitarian projects. According to the watchdog, “UN officials demand bribes from companies and NGOs seeking contracts from their agencies. The bribes are calculated as a percentage of the contract at stake, with estimates varying between 5 and 50 percent.”
The report alleges that the Taliban block and redirect aid to ensure it reaches Pashtun communities rather than Tajik and Hazara populations. It says only 30 to 40 percent of all aid sent to Afghanistan has reached those truly in need. The United States has provided nearly $4 billion in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan over the past four years.
“Taliban use every means at their disposal, including force, to ensure that aid goes where they want it to go, as opposed to where donors intend,” the report states. It adds that the group approaches humanitarian aid distribution with an ethnic bias, favouring Pashtun-majority areas at the expense of other regions and ethnic minorities.
According to SIGAR, an Afghan aid worker was killed for revealing that a Taliban military camp had stolen food aid.
The Taliban have rejected the findings. A spokesperson told Reuters that foreign aid is used independently and that the Taliban government works with aid organisations to ensure transparency and prevent misuse.
The findings are based on information from nearly 90 current and former US officials, UN officials and other sources, including Afghan contacts inside the country.
Established in 2008 to monitor US assistance to Afghanistan, SIGAR presented its final report to Congress on Wednesday.
A senior State Department official told the news site Semafor: “We knew that US funding was, in specific and direct ways, benefiting the Taliban. What shocked me was the extent to which so many NGOs — especially the UN — were involved in this diversion and corruption.”
The report says the Taliban have restricted NGO operations, interfering in their hiring processes to appoint preferred individuals. SIGAR chief John Sopko noted a “culture of denial” among international aid agencies about Taliban exploitation.
One NGO worker told SIGAR that “at least 20 percent of the employees of international NGOs were affiliated with the Taliban.” In some cases, the group reportedly ordered NGOs to add specific people to payrolls so they could receive salaries without working.
Previous SIGAR reports have documented instances where US aid indirectly benefited the Taliban, but the new report focuses specifically on allegations of aid diversion.
A US State Department official said a “turning point” in the Trump administration’s decision to cut aid came when it became clear the Taliban were openly welcoming US assistance and diverting it, whether in cash delivered through UN shipments or in goods and services, for their own gain.
The report comes as more than 23 million Afghans remain in need of international humanitarian aid.
