Saleh: The U.S. sends cash bundles to the Taliban via newly established Uzbek Airline

KABUL: Amrullah Saleh, the former First Vice President of the Republic, has stated that the responsibility for transporting millions of dollars in cash to the Taliban lies with a newly established Uzbek airline. He noted that a charter flight carrying $40 million landed in Kabul on February 9, claiming that this flight is not monitored in the flight registration system. Saleh has previously alleged multiple times that cash payments from the U.S. are reaching the Taliban and that this process should be stopped. He referred to the transactions as part of clandestine financial dealings and has criticized them sharply. Meanwhile, U.S. officials have emphasized that aid is not transferred directly to the Taliban but rather allocated through humanitarian mechanisms. However, political discussions on this issue are still ongoing. The claims come at a time when the U.S. Congress’s Foreign Relations Committee recently passed a bill related to the cessation of American aid to the Taliban. Analysts suggest that if this bill becomes law, it could directly impact the flow of aid and financial mechanisms. So far, it has not been officially confirmed which airlines the U.S. uses to transport millions of dollars to the Taliban, but the Taliban deny that they receive cash directly.