Several American military veterans have expressed frustration and outrage over reports that U.S. funds flowing to Afghanistan are also benefiting the Taliban.
This reaction follows a report from the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) indicating that U.S. cash flow has both “directly and indirectly” supported the Taliban.
The New York Post reported that this revelation felt like a gut punch to many veterans. “This has to stop now. We are sending billions of dollars to the Taliban while failing to take care of our veterans who are struggling day-to-day with both physical and mental wounds,” said Mark “Oz” Geist, founder of the Shadow Warriors Project, in an interview with the New York Post.
Geist described the flow of funds to Afghanistan as a slap in the face to the American soldiers who fought in Afghanistan over the past 20 years. “This is not only a slap in the face of every service member who served in the 20 years of war with Afghanistan and the Taliban; it stings even more so to those 13 families who bore the loss of their loved ones when they were killed at Abbey Gate,” he said.
The U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021 after 20 years of military presence, a move that led to the collapse of the former Afghan government and the Taliban’s return to power. With the Taliban in control, the international community has repeatedly raised concerns about the use of Afghanistan’s soil for hostile activities against other nations, the deteriorating human rights situation, and the lack of an inclusive government.
