Former Taliban Official’s US Funding Spark Controversy

A report emerged last week about a purported ‘Afghan academic,’ identified as Mohammad Qasem Halimi, a former Taliban official. His connection to American funding through the U.S. Institute of Peace had been brought to light earlier this year by the Department of Government Efficiency. According to the journalist group, the work Halimi facilitated was portrayed as ‘customary’ yet seemingly ‘vague’. The Department of Government Efficiency was criticized for revealing Halimi’s financial backing by the U.S., and they dismissed the official who temporarily monitored the USIP as inept.

The mainstream media’s conduct was slammed as a ‘disregard for our country.’ Their alarm-raising failed to cause concern at the Trump State Department, which acknowledged Halimi’s association with the regime that sheltered the terrorists behind the 9/11 attacks on American soil.

On Monday, the department issued a statement justifying their decision to discontinue their relationship with Halimi, emphasizing his past affiliations with the Taliban, and voicing criticism towards the mainstream media’s actions, labeling them ‘disrespectful to our country.’

In an attempt to decrease federal bureaucracy, President Trump signed an executive order on February 19. Accordingly, changes were made to the U.S. Institute of Peace, a think tank allegedly exhibiting political bias with a yearly budget of $55 million. The Trump administration made sweeping changes to the USIP; voting members of the board of directors were eliminated, global operations were largely suspended, the institute’s headquarters were acquired by the Department of Government Efficiency, and the organization’s assets were handed over to the General Services Administration.

On March 18th, there was a lawsuit attempting to obstruct the revamp at USIP, with the board members claiming that this streamlined approach constituted a ‘ruthless attack.’ In May, while a judge declared the federal entity’s modifications ‘nullified,’ the decision was put on hold by the D.C. Court of Appeals.

After acquiring the USIP’s headquarters and discontinuing Halimi’s contract, the Department of Government Efficiency shared some of their discoveries on March 31. ‘USIP contracts (now cancelled) include: — $132,000 to Mohammad Qasem Halimi, a former Taliban member who was previously Afghanistan’s Chief of Protocol.’ Halimi’s professional background lists him as Afghanistan’s ex-Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs and appointed as a Deputy Justice Minister for Technical and Professional Affairs in 2017.

Interestingly, none of this information refers to his unlawful detention by American forces from 2002 to 2003 at the Bagram Air Base, nor his service with the Taliban. According to Deutsche Welle, Halimi joined the Taliban in 1998. He initially served in their foreign ministry, then later assumed the role of chief of protocol. Halimi admitted to Deutsche Welle that he was a Taliban supporter. He recalled this period as being the best of his life when he believed Afghanistan was in desperate need of the Taliban rule.

Halimi never held back his admiration for Mullah Mohammad Omar, the first Taliban leader who offered refuge to the notorious terrorist Osama bin Laden, both before and after the 9/11 terror attacks. He reiterated his support for Mullah Omar and his belief that Afghanistan needed his leadership.

In a 2017 interview, Halimi openly admitted his continued friendly relations with the Taliban — a group that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reportedly considering labelling as a foreign terrorist organization. Halimi supposedly redirected his allegiance after his release by the American forces.

Halimi’s contract with the Taliban-sympathizing USIP was once again brought to the limelight in a post on April 1, which Elon Musk shared and which subsequently went viral. The following month, in a May 1 meeting, a Department of Government Efficiency employee stated, ‘We found that [USIP] were spending on things like private planes, and even had a $130,000 contract with an ex-Taliban member. It’s actual. We don’t see this in most agencies.’

As per the story, it is alleged that Halimi’s family members were assaulted and briefly imprisoned by Taliban security forces soon after his USIP funding was exposed. Despite this violence originating from his previous Taliban peers, the publication framed the Trump administration’s exposure of Halimi’s USIP contract and his links to the Taliban as an ‘assault’ – a dangerous and absurd attack, according to former administrators in the State Department and the White House.

Though the story was quick to humanize the ex-Taliban officer, it portrayed Nate Cavanaugh — the former Department of Government Efficiency official who diligently uncovered corruption at USIP, briefly led the institute, and discontinued Halimi’s contract — as an undeserving beneficiary of privilege.

The U.S. Institute of Peace was advised to reduce its operations to a bare minimum by President Trump’s February 19 Executive Order, which included ending the contract with ex-Taliban member Mohammad Qasem Halimi. ‘The act of funding ex-members of the Taliban, whilst lamenting about the Taliban’s reduction in Afghanistan’s opium production, highlights the dangerous and erratic approach to ‘conflict resolution’ by USIP’s previous leadership,’ commented the acting president of USIP.

This incident underlines President Trump’s commitment to eliminating manipulation within the government, stopping aids to foes, and putting an end to reckless peacebuilding initiatives that inadvertently jeopardize national security.