The United States government has vehemently refuted a recent viral claim that it accidentally transferred $239 million to the Taliban. The allegation which is now circulating on social media shows clear falsehoods and has been dismissed by fact-checking organizations.
The United States has supported Afghanistan with more than $145 billion over the last two decades through the governance, military operations, infrastructure, and humanitarian development of stabilization operations in a post-going environment following the September 11th attacks. Managing the funds has faced numerous challenges so far, including inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement.
United States government mistakenly transferred $239,000,000 to the Taliban. PIC.TWITTER.COM/WQJHGJZF86
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) AUGUST 27, 2024
Funds’ misappropriation due to corruption in Afghan ministries and by international contractors have been identified in numerous cases by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, which has definitely fueled criticism and fostered such narratives about poorly managed USAID.
Since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan back in August 2021, the US has been working to stop the movement of money flowing toward the said group. The U.S. government also quickly put a hold on some $9.5 billion in assets of the Afghan central bank held in American accounts to prevent the Taliban from accessing the money. It is well-known, moreover, that U.S. policy has been unwaveringly opposed to supplying the heavily sanctioned outfit and its leaders with direct financial assistance.
Given this background, the claim of the United States inadvertently transferring $239 million to a Taliban-linked company is not backed up by much plausibility. In this regard, not a single credible report or official confirmation by the United States government exists in relation to this incident. The story seems to have evolved from a combination of misunderstanding and deliberate misinformation.
The U.S. has persisted in delivering humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul, though not tagged for benefit use by the Taliban, via a complex web of NGOs and international bodies so that money is deboned before it reaches the people aiding them with no profit whatsoever being used as a way against recognizing their regime either. This has in many cases been distorted and caused the confusion of The People.
