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Aid Cuts Aimed at Increasing Afghan Accountability, US Officials Say

VOA News

   A senior U.S. diplomat explained to lawmakers Thursday that the U.S.
   cut more than $160 million in aid for Afghanistan to motivate the
   government to be more accountable to its citizens and to the global
   community.
   "We were trying to ensure that the level of assistance that we were
   providing ... was structured in a way that encourages the rise of the
   private sector, and that it elicits better government performance so
   that the government increasingly has the capacity and the ability to
   assume all functions of a sovereign state," said Acting Assistant
   Secretary of State Alice Wells during a House Foreign Affairs Committee
   hearing on the Trump administration's Afghanistan policy.
   "At the same time," Wells said, "our investment in Afghanistan reflects
   the level of investment given global threats."
   U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the withdrawal of the
   funds before the hearing, accusing the Afghan government of corruption
   and a lack of transparency.
   "We stand against those who exploit their positions of power and
   influence to deprive the Afghan people of the benefits of foreign
   assistance and a more prosperous future," Pompeo said.
   The U.S. had earmarked $100 million for an energy infrastructure
   project in the country and another $60 million in planned assistance.

   Project still to be finished

   Pompeo said the U.S. would still complete the energy project but
   wouldn'tspend the money through Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's
   government, blaming its "inability to transparently manage U.S.
   government resources."
   Karen Freeman of the U.S. Agency for International Development told
   committee members the cuts came after a careful review of resources
   devoted to stabilizing Afghanistan.

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