£70m of British aid ‘paid to the Taliban’: Cash wasted on bribes and protection money, say campaigners

From The Daily Mail:

 

By Kirsty Walker

Last updated at 2:28 AM on 13th August 2011

Millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money could be ending up in the pockets of Taliban insurgents and corrupt Afghan officials, a damning report has revealed.

The International Crisis Group warned that up to 10 per cent of overseas aid was being paid in bribes and protection money to the Taliban and officials in Kabul.

Over the next four years, the Prime Minister has pledged to give £710million to Afghanistan alone. That could mean up to £70million of British money going to the very people we are fighting.

Taliban fighters: Contractors say their projects and staff may be attacked if they do not pay upTaliban fighters: Contractors say their projects and staff may be attacked if they do not pay up

The Department for International Development spent £102million on aid  to Afghanistan in the last financial year, but this will rise to £178million this year. Of these totals, 16 per cent goes to Helmand province, where British troops operate.

The hard-hitting report found that despite billions being poured into  Afghanistan in aid, the country shows no signs of becoming ‘politically stable or economically viable’.

 

It also warned that there was ‘no possibility’ of the country becoming secure within the next three years, despite the efforts of Britain and other Nato countries.

The report will fuel criticism by some Tory MPs over David Cameron’s promise to increase UK spending on aid to 0.7 per cent of GDP at a time when other Whitehall departments are being hit with swingeing cuts.

Hostile: But anti-western forces often funnel off aid money through Afghanistan's political corruptionHostile: But anti-western forces often funnel off aid money thanks to Afghanistan’s political corruption

A total of £35billion has been given to Afghanistan by the international community since 2001.

The report by the ICG, which campaigns to prevent global conflicts, said: ‘After a decade of major security, development and humanitarian assistance, the international community has failed to achieve a politically stable and economically viable Afghanistan.

‘Despite billions of dollars in aid, state institutions remain fragile and unable to provide good governance, deliver basic services to the majority of the population or guarantee human safety.’

It went on to warn that aid delivery was being ‘undermined by corruption in Kabul and bribes paid to insurgent groups to ensure security for development projects’.

Taliban: £70million of British aid to Afghanistan is set to end up in the wrong handsTaliban: £70million of British aid to Afghanistan will end up in the wrong hands

The rest is at the link below:

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One Reply to “£70m of British aid ‘paid to the Taliban’: Cash wasted on bribes and protection money, say campaigners”

  1. Bribing the Afghans has a long and dishonorable history, people have been doing this for centuries and it has never brought peace.