Afghanistan funds abusive militias as US military 'ignores' situation, officials say - The Guardian

Foreign donor money goes to Afghan spy agency, which arms groups intended to fight Taliban – but some militia leaders instead target local officials

The US military and the CIA are turning a blind eye as Afghanistan’s spy agency spends foreign donor money on militias which are committing human rights abuses that help destabilise the fragile country, according to local and western officials.

The People’s Uprising program is reminiscent of a controversial local police scheme, ALP, initially introduced by the US military to build village-level resistance to the Taliban and help foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan. However, the ALP has been widely criticised for employing child soldiers, abusive behaviour, and creating fertile ground for armed opposition such as the Taliban.

While the US does not directly support People’s Uprising groups, the militias are bankrolled by the National Directorate of Security – and the bulk of NDS funding is believed to come from the CIA.

In the past, the CIA has run paramilitary Afghan units responsible for killing civilians. More recently, the Washington Post has reported that the CIA also funds and operates alongside ruthless militias in the Afghan east.

A spokesman for the CIA refused to comment.

While the US military said it did not fund the Afghan intelligence agency, it did support the army and police, whose jobs become more difficult when violence flares up. Yet, international forces claim to not discuss the militia program with the Afghan government. - Read More

Afghanistan funds abusive militias as US military 'ignores' situation ...