US state department accidentally sends $239 million to Taliban since 2021: Reports
New Delhi: A recent report from the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has unveiled that the U.S. The State Department might have accidentally funneled at least $239 million to the Taliban since the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, reports themainewire.com.
The SIGAR according to Wikipedia is a U.S. government's leading oversight authority on Afghanistan reconstruction. Congress created the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction to provide independent and objective oversight of the Afghanistan Reconstruction funds.
Meanwhile, the SIGAR report highlights significant lapses in compliance with partner vetting requirements by the State Department. "State officials acknowledged that not all bureaus complied with document retention requirements," wrote the Maine Wire quoting the report, identifying at least $293 million in Afghanistan-related disbursements that lacked proper vetting documentation.
This $239 million figure is separate from the approximately $7 billion worth of military equipment, including Humvees and Black Hawk helicopters, left behind by U.S. forces, now presumably in the hands of Taliban.
The chaotic withdrawal of the Military by the Biden administration resulted in the loss of 13 U.S. soldiers and 170 Afghan civilians in a suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport. Additionally, the decision to evacuate through Kabul’s central airport instead of the more secure Bagram Airfield has faced extensive criticism.
Following which, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan following the U.S. exit. They reportedly established over 1,000 non-profit organizations, calling it for humanitarian efforts, which SIGAR suggests may have served as fronts to secure U.S. taxpayer dollars.
SIGAR identified significant vetting failures in two State Department bureaus—the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). The report underscores the increased risk that these funds may have been embezzled or redirected to Taliban-associated organisations.
In the meantime, the report primarily recommends these bureaus to comply with existing vetting processes. However, it does not call for disciplinary actions against those responsible for the vetting failures nor suggest halting funding to Afghanistan, raising concerns about accountability and the continuation of potentially embezzeled funds.
The Afghanistan War, America’s longest foreign conflict, incurred an estimated $2.261 trillion cost to U.S. taxpayers and claimed the lives of 2,448 U.S. military personnel and 3,846 military contractors. The war also resulted in over 45,000 Afghan civilian deaths.
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Syria says Israeli strikes leave 18 dead in the biggest toll since the war in Gaza began
Masyaf (Syria), Sep 9: The number of people killed in overnight Israeli strikes in Syria has risen to 18 with dozens more wounded, Syria's health minister said on Monday — the largest death toll in such an attack since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
One of the sites targeted was a research centre used in the development of weapons, a war monitor said. Syrian officials said civilian sites were targeted.
Israel regularly targets military sites in Syria linked to Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Those strikes have become more frequent as Hezbollah has exchanged fire with Israeli forces for the past 11 months against the backdrop of Israel's war against Hamas — a Hezbollah ally — in Gaza.
However, the intensity and death toll of Sunday night's strikes were unusual.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations. The strikes often target Syrian forces or Iranian-backed groups.
Israel has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in Syria, particularly since Syria is a key route for Iran to send weapons to Hezbollah.
Israeli strikes hit several areas in central Syria, damaging a highway in Hama province and sparking fires, Syrian state news agency SANA said.
Speaking to reporters, Syrian Health Minister Hassan al-Ghabbash described the strikes as a “brutal and barbaric aggression”. He said the death toll had risen to 18 with nearly 40 wounded.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said 25 were killed, including at least five civilians, while the others included Syrian army soldiers and members of Hezbollah and other Iran-linked armed groups.
One strike targeted a scientific research centre in Masyaf, and others struck sites where “Iranian militias and experts are stationed to develop weapons in Syria”, the observatory said. It said the research centre was reportedly used for developing weapons, including short- and medium-range precision missiles and drones.
Minister of Electricity Mohammad al-Zamel said the strikes had caused “truly significant” damage to water and electricity infrastructure.
“This brutal attack targeted civilian targets, and the martyrs were mostly civilians, as were the wounded,” he said.
Local media also reported strikes around the coastal city of Tartous, which the observatory said were the result of air defense missiles falling.
On Monday afternoon, a charred car remained at the scene of one strike and smoke was still rising from some spots where fires had been put out.
