US pledges $300 million more in aid before troops withdrawal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States will provide Afghanistan with nearly $300 million in additional civilian assistance in order to sustain and build on the gains of the past 20 years.

Blinken said in a statement issued on Wednesday night that US President Joe Biden was clear that while the United States will withdraw military forces from Afghanistan, Washington’s support for the country will continue.

“As part of our commitment to invest in and support the Afghan people, we are working with Congress to provide nearly $300 million in additional civilian assistance for Afghanistan in 2021 from both the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development.

“This assistance, which we announced at the quadrennial donors’ conference in November 2020 as potentially being available at a future date, is being made available now to demonstrate our enduring support for the Afghan people,” he said.

According to Blinken, the funding will be targeted at sustaining and building on the gains of the past 20 years by improving access to essential services for Afghan citizens, promoting economic growth, fighting corruption and the narcotics trade, improving health and education service delivery, supporting women’s empowerment, enhancing conflict resolution mechanisms, and bolstering Afghan civil society and independent media.

“As the United States begins withdrawing our troops, we will use our civilian and economic assistance to advance a just and durable peace for Afghanistan and a brighter future for the Afghan people,” he said.