The US Inspector General for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan (SIGAR) John Sopko said Tuesday the Islamic Emirate is diverting or otherwise benefitting from a considerable amount of U.S. assistance.

Testifying at a hearing before the Committee on Foreign Affairs US House of Representatives, Sopko shared how US funds have been provided to or diverted by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) since the collapse of the former government in August 2021.

He said: “SIGAR has found that Taliban (IEA) officials routinely pressure US partners to hire Taliban allies, insist that US partners contract with Taliban-affiliated companies, dictate which Afghans should receive US aid, demand payoffs from US partners before a project can begin, divert US food aid to Taliban soldiers, and tax recipients of aid once it is delivered.

“This interference in and diversion of US assistance is worrying and presents multiple risks,” Sopko said.

He stated however, “over the last 12 years, SIGAR documented extensive diversion of US assistance by the prior Karzai and Ghani regimes. Similarly, experts have noted that diversion and interference are common among other autocratic regimes the US government has sought to bypass to get aid directly to vulnerable populations. Nevertheless, the diversion of humanitarian assistance by the Taliban (IEA) is of particular concern given the humanitarian crisis the populace face as well as the Taliban’s terrorist ties.”

“Unlike with the prior Afghan governments, diverted funds now may fund terrorist activities in addition to enriching the pockets of corrupt officials,” he said.

Meanwhile in his opening speech to the House, at the same hearing, Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, criticized the Biden administration for its policies on Afghanistan and said there had been no plans in place to support the Afghan people nor to secure enduring peace post withdrawal.

He called the IEA “terrorists” who “oppress” the Afghan people, adding that “they steal humanitarian aid from starving Afghans.”

He also criticized the IEA for the edicts against women and girls.

“What troubles me is that the Biden administration is pursuing a policy of engagement at all costs and has failed to hold the Taliban (IEA) to account for their crimes.

“The Biden administration meet with the Taliban (IEA) frequently, praise the Taliban often, and haphazardly send billions of tax-payers dollars to Afghanistan.

“Through these policies the Biden administration has all but recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

He also claimed the IEA had equipped the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) with weapons left behind by the US, and that the TTP is “increasingly conducting terrorist attacks while al-Qaeda remains”safely in Afghanistan under Taliban (IEA) protection.”

However, the Islamic Emirate rejected Sopko’s statements that the IEA is either benefiting or diverting US aid and said the claims were baseless.

“America and Western countries do not cooperate with and help the Islamic Emirate, and regarding the [special] inspector general of the United States of America for the reconstruction of Afghanistan that you mentioned, neither does it have any official office in Afghanistan, nor does it coordinate with the officials of the Islamic Emirate, so neither their statements nor their claims have any validity,” said Bilal Karimi, the IEA’s Deputy Spokesman.

The Islamic Emirate also rejected McCaul’s statements on the the IEA having close ties with terrorist groups including the TTP and al-Qaeda and said officials do not have any documents nor evidence to prove their statements, and that the claims were merely propaganda.