In the last two years, there have been recurring allegations against the Taliban for seizing and diverting humanitarian aid in Afghanistan. The group manipulates recipient lists by shifting the names of their families, associates, and fighters, often resorting to force to retrieve distributed humanitarian assistance from the people in various regions. Confirming these reports, sources in Nasay Darwaz district of Badakhshan province reveal that about a month ago, Taliban fighters forcefully reclaimed funds distributed by an organization during the night. The Taliban, through their local enforcers, threatened residents, insisting that the aid they received was earmarked for relocation elsewhere. Under this pressure, locals are coerced into returning the aid. Furthermore, Nasay district residents claim that the Taliban forcibly seized funds meant for teachers, designating them as an aid for the “mujahideen,” affiliated fighters with the group.
The misappropriation of humanitarian aid and the Taliban’s interference in its distribution have elicited widespread domestic and international reactions. Previously, the U.S. Department of State, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), and the U.S. Congress Foreign Affairs Committee have all exposed the Taliban’s seizure and their involvement in the humanitarian aid distribution process.
In the latest development, the Hasht-e Subh Daily has obtained information indicating that Taliban fighters in Badakhshan province collect and distribute humanitarian aid gathered from the local population among themselves. Several credible sources have confirmed that the Taliban extensively involve themselves in the distribution process and compiling lists of aid recipients.
A local source, whose name is not disclosed in the report due to security concerns, states that approximately a month ago, the Taliban forcefully collected funds distributed by an organization during the night from the villages of “Sayedia, Arkhud, and Zir-e Pul” in Nasay district, Badakhshan province. The source adds, “The Taliban went to houses during dinner and claimed that this money belongs to the mujahideen [Taliban fighters], but foreigners don’t give it to them, so we have to identify the villagers for the money to be distributed.”
According to the source, the “Mission East” and “AKF” organizations had distributed 14,000 Afghanis to each family in several villages in the Nasay district. Still, the Taliban seized it from the people during the night. The aid providers had instructed the recipients to contact them in case of any issues using the provided number. However, due to fear and Taliban threats, they couldn’t reach out using that number.
At least three local sources have confirmed to the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Taliban forcefully seized funds from deserving families and distributed them among their fighters. Additionally, the fighters of this group have threatened all residents not to publicize the matter.
One source states, “They have forcibly taken relief food items multiple times from locals. For instance, the share of a family, which is four sacks of flour, is openly taken by the Taliban, and in some villages, they have forcibly taken half of the aid from the people.”
A resident, who remains anonymous in the report, reveals, “They asked us for money, but we didn’t give it. They threatened us with death and said they had provided our names to aid organizations so that the money wouldn’t be distributed elsewhere.”
Furthermore, another source adds, “Some time ago, an amount of 18,000 Afghanis per household was allocated for the people in the central part of the district by aid agencies. However, the Taliban officials in the district repossessed six thousand of it from each family and handed it over to the Taliban fighters.”
Not only are aid agencies’ funds being forcibly taken by the Taliban from residents in Badakhshan province, but teachers also complain that, under the orders of this group, they are compelled to pay one month’s salary out of every three months to the Taliban; otherwise, they would be deprived of their salaries. Sources in Nasay district confirm that the Taliban forcibly collect teachers’ salaries through coercion and threats, leaving no room for anyone to object to their extortion. One source reveals, “The Taliban said that when the teachers’ salaries arrive, each teacher must deliver 12,000 Afghanis to us. They took this money from every teacher.”
These sources further state that the Taliban in Nasay district monthly seize an amount under the guise of aiding the “mujahideen,” who are fighters affiliated with this group. According to sources, the collection of teachers’ salaries and contributions in five districts, including Darwaz, is carried out at the behest of the Taliban’s Nasay district governor, Juma Fateh, and their military official for Darwazha.
Residents of Nasay district in Badakhshan are expressing concern over the extensive intervention and interference of the Taliban in the humanitarian aid distribution process. This concern is echoed by the recent expression of worry from the U.S. Congress Foreign Affairs Committee regarding the misappropriation of humanitarian aid by the Taliban. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the U.S. Congress Foreign Affairs Committee, stated in a special session on Afghanistan that the Taliban profit from American taxpayers and embezzle resources from non-governmental organizations to strengthen their fighters.
Previously, the U.S. Department of State and SIGAR had also highlighted Taliban interference in humanitarian aid matters. Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, stated last year that, based on the Taliban’s interference in the humanitarian aid distribution process, the country had suspended humanitarian activities in Ghor province and two districts of Ghazni province.
