Trump seeks return of US military equipment from Afghan Taliban 

Ayaz Gul  — 

President-elect Donald Trump says that aboriginal fiscal assistance to Afghanistan volition beryllium contingent upon the instrumentality of U.S. subject instrumentality by the Taliban leaders presently successful power.

Trump’s remarks astatine a Sunday rally successful Washington connected the eve of his January 20 inauguration person heightened uncertainty regarding his administration’s stance connected the crisis-hit South Asian nation.

“They [Biden administration] gave billions of billions of dollars to the Taliban. They gave our subject equipment, a large chunk of it, to the enemy,” Trump said. He referred to the tumultuous and hasty withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan successful August 2021, ordered by President Joe Biden.

“If we’re going to wage billions of dollars a year, archer them we’re not going to springiness them the wealth unless they springiness backmost our subject equipment. ... So, we volition springiness them a mates of bucks; we privation the subject instrumentality back,” Trump stated without elaborating.

A study issued by the U.S. Department of Defense successful 2022 revealed that astir $7 cardinal worthy of subject instrumentality was near down successful Afghanistan pursuing the completion of the subject withdrawal. The instrumentality successful question, which included aircraft, air-to-ground munitions, subject vehicles, weapons, communications equipment, and different materials, was subsequently seized by the Taliban.

The de facto Afghan rulers person since repeatedly displayed the U.S. subject cogwheel successful their alleged triumph time celebrations implicit the past 3 years.

The overseas unit exit stemmed from the February 2020 Doha Agreement that the archetypal Trump medication negotiated with the then-insurgent Taliban. Biden completed and defended the subject withdrawal, saying the prime helium had was either to travel done connected that statement oregon beryllium prepared to spell backmost to warring the Taliban.

Following the withdrawal, the Biden medication mostly isolated the Taliban and imposed caller sanctions connected the group. Washington, however, has continued to beryllium the largest donor to Afghanistan, a state that the United Nations says is suffering done 1 of the severest humanitarian crises successful the world. U.S. officials person besides engaged successful diplomatic efforts with the Taliban to negociate the merchandise of definite U.S. detainees and assisted successful relocating Afghan allies who had helped American forces.

US gives currency for humanitarian assistance

The billions of dollars that Trump repeatedly has referred to are apt the currency shipments being channeled done the U.N. and non-governmental organizations to enactment humanitarian programs successful Afghanistan. Washington remains the superior donor and has spent astir $3 cardinal successful humanitarian assistance since the U.S. withdrawal.

Thomas Ruttig from the autarkic Afghanistan Analysts Network warned of challenges for the Taliban nether the Trump administration. He noted that immoderate members of Congress and incoming medication officials took portion successful the 20-year U.S. ngo successful Afghanistan and person been highly captious of the Taliban.

Despite this, helium stated that countering determination coercion is simply a important interest successful Washington, and it could perchance promote the Trump medication to question practice with the Taliban to combat violent organizations, including the Afghanistan-based affiliate of the Islamic State violent enactment known arsenic IS-Khorasan.

Ruttig said that Tim Burchett, Republican vice seat of the U.S. Congress’s Foreign Affairs Committee, precocious introduced a bill, the “No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act,” to guarantee that U.S. taxation wealth does not extremity up successful the hands of the Taliban.

The U.N. Assistance Mission successful Afghanistan denies that currency shipments for humanitarian programs are financing the Taliban. The ngo says the existent setup – successful which currency is physically brought to Afghanistan and placed successful designated U.N. accounts successful a backstage slope – is successful spot due to the fact that of a prohibition connected planetary banking transfers and ongoing liquidity issues.

“All these funds are past distributed straight to the United Nations entities, arsenic good arsenic to a tiny fig of approved and vetted humanitarian partners successful Afghanistan,” according to the mission.

Taliban leaders person rejected Trump’s assertions that their authorities received U.S. fiscal aid, stating that they bash not expect oregon question immoderate assistance from Washington. “Instead, it (U.S.) has confiscated and frozen billions of dollars that rightfully beryllium to the radical of Afghanistan,” said a Taliban connection successful effect to Trump’s remarks earlier this month.

Ruttig warns that punitive measures and sanctions to unit the Taliban into submission mightiness besides provoke them to halt practice with planetary stakeholders.

“Today, the US-Taliban Doha Agreement is inactive considered valid and obliges the Taliban to restrict ISKP and different groups from utilizing their structure successful Afghanistan to perpetrate violent acts successful the West. This could beryllium jeopardized by caller quasi-sanctions connected them,” helium said successful written comments.

Taliban hopes for amended relations

Masuda Sultan, an Afghan American advocator for women’s rights, is doubtful the caller Trump medication volition substantially alteration its stance connected the Taliban. Instead, she expects the U.S. volition chopped assistance contributions to U.N.-funded programs similar the World Food Program that person supported the country’s astir vulnerable.

At the aforesaid time, Taliban leaders look publically optimistic astir a favorable displacement successful U.S. argumentation nether the Trump presidency, attributing this to their Doha pact with his erstwhile Trump administration. Kabul promptly welcomed Trump’s predetermination triumph conscionable 1 time aft helium was declared the victor of the United States statesmanlike vote.

The Taliban overseas ministry issued a ceremonial connection expressing its anticipation that “the incoming U.S. medication volition follow a pragmatic attack to guarantee tangible advancement successful bilateral relations, allowing some nations to unfastened a caller section of relations grounded successful communal engagement.”

Earlier this month, Taliban Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai commended Trump arsenic a “decisive” and “courageous” leader. Stanikzai suggested that Trump reconsider Biden’s argumentation and follow a caller approach.

“We privation to physique bully relations with the planetary assemblage and the Western countries,” Stanikzai said successful televised remarks successful section language. “An force doesn’t stay an force forever, and a person doesn’t stay a person everlastingly either,” helium added.