The Biden administration is working with Congress to provide nearly $300 million in additional civilian assistance for Afghanistan, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Wednesday.
The funding “is being made available now to demonstrate our enduring support for the Afghan people,” Blinken said in a statement.
“The funding will be targeted at sustaining and building on the gains of the past 20 years by improving access to essential services for Afghan citizens, promoting economic growth, fighting corruption and the narcotics trade, improving health and education service delivery, supporting women’s empowerment, enhancing conflict resolution mechanisms, and bolstering Afghan civil society and independent media,” he said.
The announcement comes days after US President Joe Biden said he would withdraw American troops from Afghanistan by September 11.
“As the United States begins withdrawing our troops, we will use our civilian and economic assistance to advance a just and durable peace for Afghanistan and a brighter future for the Afghan people,” Blinken said.
Chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah on Twitter welcomed the US decision to provide the funding.
