WASHINGTON: Since the U.S. military left Afghanistan in August 2021, the United States has allocated $20.71 billion in support to Afghan refugees, according to a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).
The SIGAR report, released on July 31, said this amount includes nearly $2.97 billion in U.S. appropriations for humanitarian and development assistance in Afghanistan. Additionally, $3.50 billion has been provided to the Afghan Fund, which aims to support macro-financial stability for the Afghan people and could recapitalize Afghanistan’s central bank in the future.
Furthermore, $8.70 billion has been allocated to help Afghan refugees resettle in the United States through the Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) initiative. Of this, the Department of Defense (DOD) has obligated $5.36 billion in Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid (OHDACA) funds.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has obligated nearly $3.00 billion, and the Department of Homeland Security has obligated $284 million for OAW.
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In the fiscal year 2023, the DOD provided $3.00 billion in OHDACA funds to the State Department for Enduring Welcome, which, along with other appropriations totaling $5.53 billion, helps ongoing programming under the program. initiative.
The activists while criticizing the financial aid have called for the cessation of U.S. weekly cash assistance to Afghanistan, which is unreported by the Taliban-run central bank. Critics believe that stopping this aid could put pressure on the Taliban government.
