Strategic Support: Why Cutting All Aid To Afghanistan Is Shortsighted

Afghanistan has been facing a humanitarian crisis since the Taliban took over in 2021. The country was already in a fragile state after four decades of war, widespread drought, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation has been further exacerbated by the Taliban's curbs on women's freedoms, including a ban on university and school education.

The US has cut off all aid to the Afghan government, but it continues to provide significant humanitarian aid to Afghans through international organizations such as the UN World Food Programme (WFP). However, the Taliban's resistance to guaranteeing fundamental human rights, especially gender equality, has hampered aid distribution. The US has made it clear that it will not cooperate with the Taliban on aid distribution unless women are allowed to participate meaningfully.

The reduction in aid has had a severe impact on the country, with shortages of money, food, and healthcare. The WFP has warned that millions of Afghans are at risk of famine if donors do not pledge new funds. The situation is particularly dire for women-led households, as the Taliban's restrictions on their rights to employment, education, and movement make it difficult for them to support their families.

The Taliban administration has appealed for recognition and the lifting of sanctions, which have dried up many sources of international aid. However, the group has faced international censure for its human rights abuses and has not been recognized by any country in the world.

The US has frozen aid money in ways that have crippled the Afghan economy and banking system

The US has also suspended infrastructure projects and other forms of aid granted by the US through USAID, the World Bank, IMF and the Asian Development Bank. The US government has also frozen the Afghan government’s reserves held in US bank accounts. The central bank of Afghanistan’s reserve assets are reported to have totaled $9.4 billion as of April 2021, according to the International Monetary Fund. This total equaled roughly one-third of Afghanistan’s annual economic output in April 2021, and some $7 billion were held in the United States when the US government froze the assets.

The end result is that the US has frozen aid money in ways that have crippled the Afghan economy and banking system, making the Afghan immediate economic crisis far worse.

The US is the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan

The United States is the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. Since August 2021, the US has provided over $1.9 billion in aid to Afghanistan, with more than $1.4 billion coming from USAID. The US has also been the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan historically, providing nearly $4 billion in aid since 2002.

The US provides aid to Afghanistan through international organisations such as the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the World Health Organization (WHO). This aid is targeted at the more than 18.4 million vulnerable Afghans in the region, including Afghan refugees.

US humanitarian aid to Afghanistan includes emergency cash, shelter, healthcare, and reintegration assistance to internally displaced persons and returnees, as well as protection, life-saving reproductive and maternal health, and gender-based violence prevention and response services. The US also provides food and nutrition assistance, support for healthcare facilities and mobile health teams, and logistics and transportation support to ensure that aid workers and critical relief supplies can reach the hardest-to-reach areas.

In addition to humanitarian aid, the US has also provided substantial economic aid to Afghanistan. Between FY2002 and FY2010, the US provided $18.8 billion in foreign aid to Afghanistan. This aid was intended to increase the US civilian presence in the field, build the capacity of Afghan institutions, and support military operations.

However, the US has faced challenges in effectively delivering aid to Afghanistan due to security concerns, abject poverty, weak indigenous capacity, widespread corruption, and poor governance. The US has also been criticised for not providing enough aid to Afghanistan and for cutting aid during times of political instability.

The US has provided over $1.9 billion to support Afghans amid the country's ongoing humanitarian crisis

The US is the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. The funding is used to meet the needs of the most vulnerable through food and cash support, nutrition, healthcare, protection for women and children, and agricultural inputs to support Afghans in meeting their immediate food needs.

The US has a long history of providing aid to Afghanistan. Since 2002, the US has provided nearly $88 billion in security assistance, $36 billion in civilian assistance, and nearly $3.9 billion in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

However, the US has also taken measures that have negatively impacted the Afghan economy and banking system, such as suspending infrastructure projects and other forms of aid, as well as freezing the Afghan government's reserves held in US bank accounts. These actions have contributed to the country's economic crisis and made it more difficult for Afghans to access basic services and meet their essential needs.

The current humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is exacerbated by multiple factors, including conflict, economic collapse, displacement, the COVID-19 pandemic, and natural disasters. The situation is particularly dire for women and girls, who face increased restrictions on their rights and freedoms under the Taliban rule.

The US and other members of the international community are facing a challenging situation in trying to provide aid to Afghanistan while navigating complex geopolitical considerations and concerns about the Taliban's policies and human rights abuses.

The US has stopped all reconstruction aid to Afghanistan since the Taliban seized control

The US still provides humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, but only through third-party international organisations such as the United Nations. This aid includes critical foodstuffs, and the US is the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. However, the US insists that such aid be accompanied by guarantees of fundamental human rights, including gender equality, which has met with resistance from the Taliban.

The US's decision to cut reconstruction aid has had a significant impact on Afghanistan, crippling the country's economy and banking system and exacerbating the immediate economic crisis. The Afghan government is largely dependent on foreign funding, and the US's decision to freeze assets has made it difficult for the government to access its own funds. This has resulted in a lack of funding for important aspects of the Afghan government such as medical services, education, infrastructure projects, and banking.

The reduction in aid has also affected the Afghan security forces, which are heavily reliant on US support. There are concerns that the reduction in funding could lead to factions within the army and potentially the division of Afghanistan. The US's decision to cut aid has also been criticised for undermining the survival and success of the Afghan government, which is necessary to protect US interests.

The situation in Afghanistan has been further exacerbated by the Taliban's curbs on women's freedoms, including a ban on university and school education. This has led to restrictions on the ability of aid organisations to operate in the country, as they require the participation of women in aid work. The Taliban's failure to form an effective government and the lack of progress in creating a system of governance have contributed to a potential humanitarian disaster.

The US still provides humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, but only through third-party international organisations

The US has cut off all direct aid to Afghanistan since the Taliban seized control of the country in 2021. However, it continues to provide significant humanitarian aid to Afghans through third-party international organisations such as the United Nations. This aid includes critical food supplies and other basic necessities.

The US is the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, providing over $1.9 billion to support the Afghan people since the US withdrawal in 2021. This aid is distributed by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), which provides food assistance to more than 20 million Afghans.

The US insists that its humanitarian aid is not provided to or through Taliban authorities. Instead, it supports the work of UN agencies and carefully chosen international and local NGOs. The US has also urged these organisations to resist any interference by the Taliban in their aid work and to ensure the full and unhindered participation of women, who play a critical role in humanitarian operations.

However, the Taliban's restrictions on women's rights, including their ability to work in NGOs and UN agencies, have severely hampered aid operations in the country.

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