The Trump Administration has slashed $1 billion in aid to Afghanistan on Monday, following a rather unsuccessful visit to Kabul by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who sought to secure a power-sharing deal between Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah.
The Afghan presidential election ended with contested results, with both Ghani and Abdullah claiming victory. This happened the last time, but instead of a deal they both held competing inaugurations, and now claim to each be the president.
US officials were deeply critical of the meetings between Pompeo and the two, saying they were disappointed in the men and their conduct, going so far as to say they’d dishonored America and its coalition partners, and pose a direct threat to US interests.
On top of the billion dollars already cut, officials suggested that further aid could be cut in the future, and that the US is going to do a full review of all support for the Afghan government, such as it is.
This could be a particularly bad time for the Afghan government to lose US support, as a peace deal with the Taliban is in hand, and the Ghani government has been complicating it by refusing prisoner releases. With no progress on power-sharing, it seems the Afghan government is more of a liability than anything.
Likely more money to Israel hidden in the American citizen aid package.
I bet the CIA is not cutting back on the lucrative Afghan heroin trade. Just as 9/11 was used as the phony pretext for invading Afghanistan and all the wars of this century, the COVID-19 “pandemic” will be used as the pretext for cutting back on Social Security and Medicare and the further shredding the Constitution and the Bill of Rights here in the USA, and blame it all on China.
The sad thing is, the bought and paid for Congress will go for it just like they did after 9/11 with the odious USA Patriot Act and the National Defense Authorization Act. This false-flag will be like a new 9/11 all over again. When will we ever learn?
I prefer…”US to slash $100 billion in aid to Boeing, Raytheon et al”….
Is this a ghastly joke? What “aid” has the Benighted states given to the graveyard of empires?
I just read that in the last two weeks 50000 Afghan refugees in Iran have returned home to Afghanistan, where the dear US troops are still awaiting departure. I wonder if the “Chinese-Iran virus” will find its way into some of the US troops.
Its just a cold; not a problem. Cold season is ending there anyway.
Except for the oldest generals and colonels, maybe..
Why give $1 billion in aid when we can use it to play war games threatening Iran and other Nations we dislike?
Gosh, a whole billion dollars.
COVID-19 can’t be a serious threat if these guys figure they can still play trillion-dollar-war.