Latest News

SIGAR finds Ghani and his advisors fled the country with less than $1 million

Published

4 years ago

June 8, 2022

Washington’s oversight authority on Afghanistan reconstruction has found that allegations of theft of millions of dollars of cash by former president Ashraf Ghani and his senior advisors, at the time of their hurried departure, are likely untrue.

In the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction’s (SIGAR) interim report on the theft of funds, which was published on Tuesday, the investigative team found that while some cash was taken from the grounds of the palace and loaded onto helicopters, that carried Ghani, his wife Rula, and senior staff members to Uzbekistan, evidence indicates that the amount of cash on board did not exceed $1 million and may have been closer in value to $500,000.

SIGAR also identified suspicious circumstances in which approximately $5 million in cash was allegedly left behind at the presidential palace. “The origins and purpose of this money are disputed, but it was supposedly divided by members of the Presidential Protective Service” after the helicopters departed but before the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) captured the palace.

SIGAR examined other examples of alleged theft by senior Afghan officials as the government collapsed, including tens of millions of dollars from the operating budget of the National Directorate of Security.

Although there appears to have been ample opportunity and effort to plunder Afghan government coffers, “at this time SIGAR does not have sufficient evidence to determine with certainty whether hundreds of millions of dollars were removed from the country by Afghan officials as the government collapsed or whether any stolen money was provided by the United States,” the report read.

According to SIGAR, this is an interim report, as they are still waiting for responses to questions sent to Ghani.

“If forthcoming, those answers will be incorporated into a final report,” SIGAR stated.

Following the collapse of the former Afghan government, allegations were made that Ghani and his senior advisors fled Afghanistan with millions of dollars in cash loaded onto the helicopters that carried them from the presidential palace to Termez, Uzbekistan, on the afternoon of August 15, 2021.

“The hurried nature of their departure, the emphasis on passengers over cargo, the payload and performance limitations of the helicopters, and the consistent alignment in detailed accounts from witnesses on the ground and in the air all suggest that there was little more than $500,000 in cash on board the helicopters,” read the report.

“That being said, it is likely that significant amounts of U.S. currency disappeared from Afghan government property in the chaos of the Taliban (IEA) takeover – including $5million taken from the presidential palace and tens of millions taken from the vault at the National Directorate of Security,” SIGAR stated.

“Attempts to loot other government funds appear to have been common. Yet with Afghan government records and surveillance videos from those final days likely in Taliban (IEA) hands, SIGAR is currently unable to determine how much money was ultimately stolen, and by whom,” the report stated.

The Russian embassy in Kabul asserted in late August that there was $169 million on board the helicopters, and two days later the Afghan ambassador to Tajikistan, Zahir Aghbar, echoed these claims in a press conference.

Aghbar also vowed to file a request with Interpol to arrest Ghani. However, Aghbar declined to sit for an interview with SIGAR or provide any evidence substantiating this claim.

International Sports

White House confirms President Trump will attend World Cup final

The comments confirmed Trump’s expected participation after FIFA president Gianni Infantino said last month that he would present the trophy.

Published

4 hours ago

July 17, 2026

Ariana News

President Donald Trump will attend the World Cup final on Sunday between Spain and defending champion Argentina, the White House confirmed on Thursday.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president would be in New York City on Friday to attend a FIFA reception at Trump Tower in Manhattan, ‌then be at Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J, Reuters reported.

The comments confirmed Trump’s expected participation after FIFA president Gianni Infantino said last month that he would present the trophy.

“We will be together with the president, enjoying the final and handing the trophy to the winner, of course,” Infantino said on June 23 on “Fox & Friends.”

Heads of state have a history of attending the finals and some have been part of the ⁠trophy presentation, including in Qatar in 2022 and Russia in 2018.

Neither Trump nor vice president JD Vance have previously attended any of the 102 games played thus far at this World Cup, which is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Members of the cabinet have appeared at games featuring the U.S. men’s national team in California and Seattle.

“His attendance will cap what has been the most-watched, most secure and most successful World Cup in American history,” Leavitt said.

The United States hosted the Men’s World Cup one previous time, in 1994.

Trump has attended multiple high-profile sporting events, including the Super Bowl, U.S. Open tennis tournament, Ryder Cup and Daytona 500, during his two presidential ‌terms. ⁠In November 2024, he was present for a UFC event at Madison Square Garden. Last month, he attended UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn, as well as Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden.

Last summer, he was at the same venue as Sunday’s match for the Club World ⁠Cup Final and shared the stage as English club Chelsea raised the trophy.

Infantino partnered with Trump to announce the World Cup draw would be last December at the Kennedy Center in Washington. He also presented Trump with the first FIFA Peace Prize.

Trump acknowledged ⁠calling Infantino to review the red-card suspension of United States striker Folarin Balogun for a foul in the 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1.

Balogun was automatically banned for the following round of 16 match against ⁠Belgium on July 6. Infantino acknowledged receiving a call from Trump, who publicly lobbied for Balogun to play, but the FIFA president said he did not interfere with the decision-making process.

FIFA suspended the one-game ban on July 5, enabling Balogun to play amid the controversy. Belgium eliminated the U.S. squad 4-1.

Latest News

Turhan Saleh appointed new UNDP Resident Representative in Afghanistan

Published

9 hours ago

July 17, 2026

Ariana News

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has announced that Turhan Saleh has officially assumed his duties as the agency’s new Resident Representative in Afghanistan, effective July 15, 2026.

Saleh brings nearly three decades of experience within the United Nations system and has held a number of senior leadership positions at UNDP.

Before taking up his new post in Afghanistan, he served as Senior Adviser in UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Arab States, where he focused on transitions from UN peacekeeping and special political missions.

From December 2023 to March 2026, Saleh served as Deputy Director of UNDP’s Crisis Bureau, overseeing issues related to crisis operations, humanitarian-to-development transitions, crisis financing and strategic policy development. Prior to that, he was UNDP Resident Representative in Ethiopia from May 2019 to November 2023.

Since joining UNDP in 1997 as a Policy Adviser in the Office of the Administrator, Saleh has held several senior roles across the organization. These include Director of the Millennium Development Goals Unit, Deputy Director in the Division for UN Affairs, Country Director and Acting Resident Representative in Nigeria, Chief of the Country Support Team in the Regional Bureau for Africa, and Strategic Plan Coordinator in the Executive Office.

According to UNDP, Saleh has worked directly with four UNDP Administrators and contributed to the development of nearly all of the organization’s strategic plans over the course of his career.

Before joining UNDP, Saleh began his UN career with UNICEF in 1989. He worked in Ghana and Eritrea and contributed to UNICEF’s first country programme in post-apartheid South Africa. He also completed internships with UNICEF, the World Bank and the United Nations World Food Council.

Saleh holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in political economy from Cornell University, a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton University, and also studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at University of Oxford.

His appointment comes as Afghanistan continues to face significant humanitarian and development challenges, with UNDP playing a key role in supporting livelihoods, basic services and community resilience across the country.

Saleh succeeds Stephen Rodriques, who served as UNDP Resident Representative in Afghanistan from May 2023. He has been appointed as UNDP Resident Representative in Bangladesh.

Latest News

UK pledges 315 million pounds in aid for Afghanistan over next three years

Published

10 hours ago

July 17, 2026

Ariana News

The United Kingdom has pledged £315 million ($425 million) in humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan over the next three years, reaffirming its long-term commitment to supporting Afghans amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

In a statement on Thursday, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Hamish Falconer, said the UK will provide £105 million annually from 2026 to 2029, making Afghanistan one of Britain’s largest Official Development Assistance (ODA) recipients during that period.

Falconer said nearly 22 million people in Afghanistan will require humanitarian assistance this year, including 17.4 million facing acute food insecurity. He added that almost 5 million women, girls and boys are expected to need treatment for malnutrition in 2026, while drought, floods, economic fragility and regional instability continue to deepen the humanitarian crisis.

The UK said its funding will focus on life-saving health and nutrition services, education, protection for vulnerable people, livelihood support and climate resilience. It also plans to increase cooperation with Afghan partners that are not affiliated with the Islamic Emirate to support locally led initiatives, including assistance for Afghans returning from neighboring countries.

Falconer said women and girls will remain at the center of the UK’s aid strategy, stressing that Britain will continue to prioritize their rights and aims to ensure that at least half of all people reached by UK-funded assistance are women and girls.

He said the IEA’s restrictions on women and girls, including limits on education, employment and participation in public life, continue to undermine fundamental freedoms and pose a major obstacle to Afghanistan’s long-term development and stability.

According to the statement, UK-funded humanitarian programs supported at least 2.7 million people during the 2024/25 financial year, including more than 1.7 million women and girls.

The UK said it will continue working with international donors, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to help finance essential services, particularly healthcare, while supporting broader international efforts to address Afghanistan’s humanitarian needs.