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US watchdog accuses Islamic Emirate of diverting international aid
Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate is using force and other measures to divert international aid, block minority communities from receiving assistance, and may be colluding with U.N. officials to demand kickbacks, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).
The findings, based on input from nearly 90 current and former U.S. officials, U.N. personnel, and other sources — including Afghans inside the country — allege that the Islamic Emirate exerts control over aid distribution to direct resources toward its preferred recipients rather than donor-designated communities.
SIGAR reported that one Afghan aid worker who exposed the diversion of food aid to a military training camp was later killed, though responsibility for the killing could not be confirmed.
An Islamic Emirate spokesperson, Hamdullah Fitrat, denied the allegations, stating that international aid is distributed independently and that government agencies cooperate to ensure transparency and prevent misuse. The U.N. has not yet commented on the report, and Reuters said it could not independently verify the claims.
The watchdog meanwhile also cited allegations from interviewees that U.N. officials sought bribes from companies and humanitarian groups in exchange for contracts, and that some Islamic Emirate officials may have colluded with U.N. personnel to split illicit proceeds.
According to SIGAR, international donors provided $10.72 billion in aid — including $3.83 billion from the United States — between August 2021, when the Islamic Emirate took power, and April 2025, when the Trump administration ended most U.S. assistance.
The report accuses the Islamic Emirate of using both regulatory authority and coercion to influence which humanitarian groups can operate, directing U.S.-funded aid disproportionately to majority Pashtun areas while marginalising minority communities, and extorting humanitarian workers.
The Islamic Emirate has not yet issued an official response to the report.
Shahabuddin Delawar, president of the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), met with Richard Lindsay, the UK’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, to discuss the country’s humanitarian situation and ways to expand assistance for vulnerable communities.
According to ARCS, the meeting focused on support for people affected by natural disasters, Afghan returnees and other vulnerable groups, particularly their urgent humanitarian and healthcare needs.
Delawar thanked the United Kingdom for its humanitarian assistance to people affected by natural disasters and briefed Lindsay on the ARCS’s humanitarian and healthcare activities.
He highlighted the society’s services for children with congenital heart defects at its cardiac hospital, vocational training and skills development programs for vulnerable women and children across seven regional zones, mental healthcare services, and assistance to communities affected by natural disasters.
Delawar said decades of hardship had left many Afghans facing mental health challenges, while vulnerable families continued to struggle with difficult living conditions. He stressed the need for expanded humanitarian assistance and healthcare support.
Referring to the return of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries, Delawar said many families urgently need shelter, food, non-food items and medical services. He called for greater UK cooperation to help meet returnees’ basic needs.
Lindsay praised the ARCS’s humanitarian work and pledged continued cooperation in supporting returnees and other humanitarian initiatives in the coming year. He also said he would seek to facilitate effective cooperation with the society in the healthcare sector.
Both sides underscored the importance of strengthening cooperation to expand humanitarian assistance, support vulnerable communities and improve healthcare services in Afghanistan.
Amir Khan Muttaqi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, met with Yatin Patel, India’s chargé d’affaires in Kabul, on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Muttaqi emphasized that, in line with its balanced foreign policy, the Islamic Emirate attaches importance to relations with India.
Referring to the growing volume of trade between the two countries, he stressed the need to strengthen communication and cooperation between Afghanistan’s and India’s public and private sectors, adding that cooperation should be expanded to make better use of existing capacities.
Meanwhile, Yatin Patel said India seeks to expand its relations and engagement with Afghanistan in the economic, political and humanitarian fields.
Muttaqi also wished Patel success in his new assignment.
Mohammad Naeem, Deputy Minister for Finance and Administration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, met on Wednesday with Richard Lindsay, the UK’s Special Representative for Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the two sides discussed Afghanistan’s political, economic and security situation, regional stability, humanitarian assistance and consular services.
Naeem expressed appreciation for the UK’s humanitarian assistance and cooperation with Afghanistan and stressed the importance of continuing cooperation between the two sides.
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