Kabul/Washington – Former Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh has made a grave accusation, alleging that the United States has flown in a chartered plane filled with $45 million in recently printed bills in cash to Kabul this morning, which was reportedly delivered to the interim Taliban government. This information is spreading quickly over social media, and it is raising public and political anxiety about the continued foreign aid to Afghanistan.
The supposed transfer of a large amount of cash is casting doubt on the national security strategy of Washington and the aid delivery mechanism in particular, because the US administration is still in record of official position not to accept the Taliban regime.
Concerns Over Transparency and Terror Funding
Ever since the Taliban came to power in 2021, massive amounts of humanitarian aid have been transferred to Afghanistan, and much of it has been provided in cash.
According to critics, the lack of transparency over these financial aid transfers implies that some proportion of the money is bound to finance the Taliban’s internal machinery and security system. They argue that this will essentially empower the militant group, positioning international efforts to isolate the regime squarely against it. The US and other international organizations have never given clear and transparent information about how these funds are monitored and controlled to ensure that they do not end up in the wrong hands.
Legal Hurdles in Washington
The timing of this so-called payment is especially delicate, given efforts in legislation in the United States. Last year, they introduced a bill in the US that was meant to stop American taxpayer funds from reaching the Taliban. Although the bill sailed through the House of Representatives, it has yet to be implemented into law.
In that regard, the emergence of the new so-called cash payment has fueled the suspicion of US political circles and security analysts in the region. They require the United States to provide a clear explanation concerning the motive of sending such a huge sum of money to Kabul and the supervisory measures that were to follow to monitor its dispensation.
