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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump administration wants to reimburse Taliban's travel expenses
The Trump administration asked Congress earlier this year for funds to reimburse Afghanistans Taliban for expenses the insurgent group incurs attending peace talks, according to a spokesman for the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. The money would cover the Talibans costs for expenses such as transportation, lodging, food and supplies, said Kevin Spicer, spokesman for Indiana Democrat Peter J. Visclosky, in a statement for CQ Roll Call.
The Pentagons request to funnel U.S. funds to the Taliban would implicate provisions of law concerning material support to terrorists, the Talibans ongoing offensive operations against U.S. service members, and their continuing lack of acknowledgement of the government of Afghanistan or the rights of women in Afghan society, said Spicer. Viscloskys panel approved on Wednesday a $690.2 billion Defense spending bill for fiscal 2020 that bars any funds for reimbursing the Taliban.
Under the Trump request the U.S. government would funnel funds to a violent group that once harbored Osama bin Laden a fighting force that U.S. troops have been combating for more than 18 years. The Taliban is a well-funded organization, too. And much of its money has been earned from a drug trade that is killing record numbers of Americans. The group may net at least $800 million a year from opium trafficking and related activities.
The Taliban is not on the State Departments list of terrorist organizations, even though the group deliberately targets civilians.
https://www.rollcall.com/news/congress/administration-wants-reimburse-talibans-travel-expenses
global1
(25,242 posts)Midnightwalk
(3,131 posts)Unless they are outlandish the expenses are peanuts compared to the continued conflict.
Id be suspicious that trump is somehow going to make money off this but I dont see the general problem with it. What am i missing?