President-elect Donald Trump says future financial aid to Afghanistan will depend on the return of US military equipment by Taliban leaders currently in power.
Trump’s comments at a Sunday rally in Washington on the eve of his inauguration on January 20 have heightened uncertainty about his administration’s stance on the crisis-hit South Asian nation.
“They [Biden administration] Gave billions of dollars to Taliban. “They turned over our military equipment, a large portion of it, to the enemy,” Trump said. He referred to the tumultuous and hasty withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in August 2021 on the orders of President Joe Biden.
“If we’re going to pay billions of dollars a year, tell them we won’t give them the money unless they give back our military equipment. …So, we will give them some money; “We want the military equipment back,” Trump said without elaborating.
A report released by the US Department of Defense in 2022 revealed that approximately $7 billion worth of military equipment was left in Afghanistan after the completion of the troop withdrawal. The equipment in question, which included aircraft, air-to-ground weapons, military vehicles, weapons, communications equipment and other materials, was later seized by the Taliban.
Indeed the Afghan rulers have repeatedly displayed American military gear at their so-called Victory Day celebrations over the past three years.
The withdrawal of foreign troops follows the February 2020 Doha agreement, which was previously negotiated by the Trump administration with the then-insurgent Taliban. Biden completed the military withdrawal and defended it, saying they had a choice to either abide by that agreement or be prepared to go back to fight the Taliban.
Following the withdrawal, the Biden administration largely isolated the Taliban and imposed new sanctions on the group. However, Washington remains the largest donor to Afghanistan, a country that the United Nations says is suffering from one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world. US officials are also engaged in diplomatic efforts with the Taliban to negotiate the release of some US detainees and assist in the transfer of Afghan allies who had helped US forces.
America gives cash for humanitarian aid
The billions of dollars Trump has repeatedly mentioned are likely cash shipments being sent through the United Nations and non-governmental organizations to support humanitarian programs in Afghanistan. Washington remains the primary donor and has spent nearly $3 billion in humanitarian aid since the US withdrawal.
Thomas Ruttig of the independent Afghanistan Analysts Network warned of challenges for the Taliban under the Trump administration. He said some members of Congress and incoming administration officials took part in the 20-year US mission in Afghanistan and have been highly critical of the Taliban.
Despite this, he said that countering regional terrorism is an important concern in Washington, and it could potentially encourage the Trump administration to seek cooperation with the Taliban to fight terrorist organizations, including IS. The Afghanistan-based affiliate of the outgoing Islamic State terrorist organization is also included. -Khorasan.
Ruttig said Tim Burchett, the Republican vice chairman of the US Congress’ Foreign Affairs Committee, recently introduced a bill, the “No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act”, to ensure that US tax money does not go into the hands of the Taliban. Don’t go in.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan denies that cash shipments for humanitarian programs are funding the Taliban. The mission says the current setup – in which cash is physically brought into Afghanistan and held in designated UN accounts at a private bank – is in place due to restrictions on international banking transfers and ongoing liquidity issues.
According to the mission, “All these funds are distributed directly to UN entities as well as a small number of approved and verified humanitarian partners in Afghanistan.”
Taliban leaders have rejected Trump’s claims that their government has received US financial assistance, saying they do not expect and do not want any assistance from Washington. “Instead, it (the US) has seized and frozen billions of dollars belonging to the people of Afghanistan,” a Taliban statement said in response to Trump’s comments earlier this month.
Ruttig warned that punitive measures and sanctions to pressure the Taliban could also provoke them to stop cooperating with international stakeholders.
“Today, the US-Taliban Doha Agreement is still considered valid and obliges the Taliban to prohibit ISKP and other groups from using their sanctuary in Afghanistan to carry out terrorist acts in the West. “New quasi-sanctions on them could jeopardize this,” he said in written comments.
Taliban hopes for better relations
Masuda Sultan, an Afghan American advocate for women’s rights, doubts that the new Trump administration will substantially change its stance on the Taliban. Instead, he expects the US to cut aid contributions to UN-funded programs such as the World Food Programme, which have supported the country’s most vulnerable.
At the same time, Taliban leaders appear publicly optimistic about a favorable shift in US policy under the Trump presidency, attributing this to their Doha agreement with the previous Trump administration. Kabul immediately welcomed Trump’s election victory, just a day after he was declared the winner of the United States presidential election.
The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry issued a formal statement expressing hope that “the incoming US administration will take a pragmatic approach to ensure concrete progress in bilateral relations, allowing the two countries to open a new chapter of relations based on mutual engagement.” ”
Earlier this month, Taliban Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai praised Trump as a “decisive” and “courageous” leader. Stanikzai suggested that Trump reconsider Biden’s policies and adopt a new approach.
“We want to build good relations with the international community and Western countries,” Stanikzai said in comments broadcast on local language television. He said, “An enemy is not always an enemy and a friend is not always a friend.”