The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, SIGAR, has expressed concerns about the revenue that the Taliban may be collecting from fees and other payments made by UN agencies and non-governmental organizations.
SIGAR wrote on Twitter on Wednesday: “Neither State Department nor SIGAR currently know exactly how much revenue Taliban-controlled ministries may be collecting from fees and other payments from UN agencies/NGOs.”
SIGAR also reported that the US Treasury has curtailed its quarterly report, which included detailed information on the expenditures and revenues of Afghan ministries.
“The ministry of finance curtailed its quarterly reporting which, prior to the Taliban takeover, included more granular information regarding ministries’ expenditures and revenues. Similarly, the UN does not provide the State Department, USAID, or SIGAR detailed accounts of its expenditures, nor that of its partners,” SIGAR stated.
On April 19, John Sopko, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction expressed concerns to The US House Foreign Affairs Committee, stating, “I cannot assure this committee or the American taxpayer we are not currently funding the Taliban.” He further noted during a House Oversight Committee hearing, “Nor can I assure you the Taliban are not diverting the money we are sending from the intended recipients.”
