US slashes aid to Afghanistan as rivals jostle for power

The Trump administration cuts $1.69bn in aid to Afghanistan after the country’s rival leaders failed to agree on a new government.

Mike Pompeo meets Ashraf Ghani in Kabul on Monday night. Picture: AFP

The Trump administration is slashing $US1bn ($1.69bn) in assistance to Afghanistan and threatening further reductions in all forms of co-operation after the country’s rival leaders failed to agree on forming a new government.

The decision to cut the aid was made on Tuesday AEDT by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after he made an unannounced, ­urgent visit to Kabul to meet Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, the rival Afghan politicians who have each declared themselves president of the country after disputed elections last September. Mr Pompeo had hoped to break the deadlock but was unable to.

In an unusually harsh statement, Mr Pompeo slammed the two men for being unable to work together and threatening a potential peace deal that could end the US’s longest-running conflict.

“The US deeply regrets that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah have informed Secretary Pompeo that they have been unable to agree on an inclusive government that can meet the challenges of governance, peace and security, and provide for the health and welfare of Afghan citizens,” he said.

Mr Pompeo said the US was “disappointed” in both men and their conduct, which he said had “harmed US-Afghan relations and, sadly, dishonours those ­Afghan, Americans, and coalition partners who have sacrificed their lives and treasure in the struggle to build a new future for this country”.

Mr Pompeo said their inability to work together posed a “direct threat” to US national interests and that the administration would begin an immediate review of all its support programs for ­Afghanistan, starting with a ­reduction of $US1bn in aid this year. He said it could be reduced by another $US1bn in 2021.

“We have made clear to the leadership that we will not back security operations that are politically motivated, nor support political leaders who order such operations or those who advocate for or support parallel government,” Mr Pompeo said.

Mr Pompeo, who after leaving Kabul met with a senior Taliban official in Qatar, also said Dr Ghani and Dr Abdullah were acting inconsistently with agreements they made to support a US-Taliban peace agreement signed last month. That deal called for intra-Afghan peace talks to begin by March 10, but they have not begun. They have not yet even agreed on who should be part of the non-Taliban delegation nor have they agreed to prisoner swaps with the Taliban as envisaged by the deal.

Mr Pompeo said the US would continue to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan under the terms of its agreement with the Taliban, which calls for the reduction in the next several months from about 13,000 to 8600. He added that the US would be willing to look again at the aid cuts if the two leaders could form an inclusive government. As a demonstration of that, he said, the US would provide $US15m in assistance to help ­Afghanistan fight the spread of the coronavirus.

But as he departed there was no sign the impasse was over and there were reports in Kabul that Mr Pompeo had given Dr Ghani and Dr Abdullah until Wednesday to find a compromise.

From Kabul, Mr Pompeo flew to Doha, Qatar, where he had witnessed the signing of the US-Taliban deal on February 29, to meet Taliban officials, including Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban and head of their political office in Qatar. Mullah Baradar signed the agreement on behalf of the group.

The State Department said Mr Pompeo’s aim was “to press the Taliban to continue to comply with the agreement signed last month”. Since the deal was signed, the peace process has stalled amid political turmoil in Afghanistan, as Dr Ghani and Dr Abdullah remained deadlocked. They both declared themselves president in duelling inauguration ceremonies this month.

The US pays billions of dollars towards the Afghan budget, including the country’s defence forces. Afghanistan barely raises a quarter of the revenue it needs, giving Mr Pompeo considerable financial leverage. The political turmoil has put on hold the start of intra-Afghan peace talks that would include the Taliban.

AP