A surprising investigation by the Defence Oversight and Government Ethics (DOGE) Committee has uncovered a long-standing issue where U.S. government money, sent through USAID, has been used to support terrorist groups like Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and ISIS.
In a recent congressional hearing, Rep. Scott Perry revealed how taxpayer money, mainly through USAID, has unintentionally helped groups that are against American interests.
Perry said, “Your money—$697 million each year, plus cash sent to support groups like ISIS and Boko Haram—is what’s happening here.”
He emphasised, “If you think the programs like the Women Scholarship Endowment, which gets $60 million a year, or Young Women Lead, which receives about $5 million a year, are actually helping women, think again.
“Reports show that the Taliban doesn’t allow women to speak in public, so it’s hard to believe this money is truly helping women in Afghanistan. Instead, we are funding terrorism, and it comes through USAID. This is not just a problem in Afghanistan.”
Key points from the DOGE report include:
- $697 Million in 2024 Aid to Afghanistan: Even though the Taliban took control in 2021, the U.S. gave close to $700 million in aid to Afghanistan last year, with more than $534 million handled by USAID.
- Unmonitored Cash Shipments: Between $40 million and $80 million in cash is sent to Afghanistan every week or so, with little control over where it goes.
- Taliban “Martyrs’ Welfare”: Whistleblowers from the CIA claim that families of Taliban fighters who died while attacking U.S. troops get money, while families of American victims do not receive similar help.
- USAID-Funded Extremism: Programs like the Women’s Scholarship Endowment ($60 million a year) and Young Women Lead ($5 million a year) have reportedly been used to fund terrorist training camps and madrasas linked to ISIS-Khorasan and Boko Haram.
A History of Hidden Funding
The DOGE investigation found a pattern of U.S. financial connections to extremist groups going back to the late 1970s. It referenced old intelligence reports that showed:
– Cold War Support for Mujahideen: During the Soviet-Afghan War, the CIA and Mossad helped Afghan fighters, many of whom later formed Al-Qaeda.
– Post-9/11 Weapons Transfers: Weapons given by the U.S. to Syrian rebel groups ended up being used by ISIS.
– Israeli Involvement in Hamas’ Origins: Intelligence documents suggest that in the 1980s, Israel secretly supported Hamas to counter the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), a move that eventually created more problems.
