Former US administration secretly paid $15 million to bolster population control measures in Afghanistan, according to a study released last week. The funds were going to be used to provide condoms and oral contraceptives in the country, which is ruled by the Taliban.
The American Agency for International Development (USAID) designated the funds, based on a grant notice that American independent media examined.
Although the supplies were shipped to the Middle Eastern country in August of last year, the notice was sent out a month earlier. The grant is a component of a broader initiative to advance equal rights for women and reproductive care in Afghanistan. The civil liberties of women have been severely restricted by the Taliban since 2021 when it retook control of the country. One of the limitations is that girls are not allowed to go to high school. The Taliban has also barred the female community from a variety of jobs.
Additionally, USAID admitted in the grant announcement that “some cooperation” with the Taliban would be required in order to carry out the initiative. At the same time, it made it clear that the Taliban would not get any kind of immediate aid. The notice stated that measures will be taken to stop Taliban meddling or financial abuse.
The project was a component of a $100-million program intended to solve a number of Afghan problems. Offering opportunities for earnings and community resiliency were among them. The project also aimed to raise the standard of schooling in Afghan institutes. However, politicians are now paying closer attention to that financing. This is particularly relevant in view of recent accountability issues pertaining to U.S. foreign aid expenditures.
Tax-payer’s pocket
Questions over possible fraud in the United States foreign aid have been voiced by various figures in American politics and society including Representative Brian Mast. It was specifically mentioned following the last-minute budget decisions made by the Biden administration. The Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee is chaired by Mast. Addressing a recent panel session, Mast declared, “We will be doing a full State Department appropriation to make sure that American tax dollars aren’t wasted on frivolous projects overseas.”
Gender-specific assault in Afghanistan has not been sufficiently addressed by American programs, according to a previous assessment by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. SIGAR also pointed out that plans for U.S. assistance missed clear objectives for stopping or dealing with this kind of abuse. As a result, the initiative is escalating critiques of the present strategy for reconstructing Afghanistan following the U.S. departure.
The program was also challenged by an earlier senior secretary of defense for the Middle East. It fails to tackle the swift and harsh suppression of female community under the new fanatic leadership, according to Simone Ledeen.
According to Ledeen, a comprehensive assessment of U.S. taxpayer financing is necessary to make sure it supports worthwhile and responsible purposes. This occurs at a time when almost all foreign aid has been stopped for at least 90 days by the incoming Trump administration. The halt list includes humanitarian aid for Afghanistan. The Trump team intends to assess its effectiveness and compatibility with the strategy and agenda of the new president.
