US Funds into Afghanistan Provide 'Protection Money' to the Taliban

(Analyst's note: This is a very troubling report.)

The GlobalPost reported tonight on PBS about their insider investigation by Jean MacKenzie that US finds earmarked for road and bridge construction in Afghanistan are ending up in the hands of the Taliban, through a protection racket for contractors.

US funds into Afghanistan provide “protection money” to the TalibanThe United States Agency for International Development has opened an investigation into a situation that has been an open secret in Afghanistan for years among members of international aid organizations.

The report exposed that the Taliban takes a percentage of the billions of dollars in aid from U.S. and other international coalition members that goes to large organizations and their subcontractors for development projects, in exchange for protection in remote areas controlled by the insurgency.

Here is the original report by Jean MacKenzie: Funding the Afghan Taliban