SIGAR finds US aid vetting failures may have benefited militants in Afghanistan

Two State Department bureaus could not prove compliance with internal policies for vetting aid groups in Afghanistan that received $293 million in funds, Washington’s Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said Wednesday.

“It is critical that State knows who is actually benefiting from this assistance in order to prevent the aid from being diverted to the Taliban (Islamic Emirate) or other sanctioned parties,” said the latest SIGAR report.

According to the report, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has tried to obtain US aid funds “through several means, including the establishment of humanitarian organizations,” underscoring the need for the department to “fully and consistently assess the risks posed by its implementing partners.”

SIGAR said three of five State Department bureaus were found in compliance with department regulations requiring vetting of aid fund recipients.

But the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs could not provide enough documentation to prove their adherence, Reuters reported.

“State could not demonstrate compliance with its partner vetting requirements on awards that disbursed at least $293 million in Afghanistan,” the report stated.

For that reason, “there is an increased risk that terrorists and terrorist-affiliated individuals and entities may have illegally benefitted,” it said.

The department agreed with the report’s conclusions and would “work to ensure compliance” with vetting requirements, it said.

The US remains the largest aid donor to Afghanistan nearly three years after the IEA regained power.

Since the US withdrawal was completed on Aug. 30, 2021, Washington has provided more than $17.9 billion in assistance to Afghanistan.

The Islamic Emirate rejects claims of misuse of aid from the international community, including the United States of America.

The Ministry of Economy has also rejected the misuse of humanitarian aid and says that the aid is provided to deserving and needy people in a transparent and trustworthy manner.

The United States remains the largest donor to Afghanistan.

Previously SIGAR reported that during the last three years, US aid implementation partners in Afghanistan have paid at least $10.9 million in taxes and money for water and electricity to the current Afghan government.

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