Amrullah Saleh, the former First Vice President under ex-President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan, has stated that the Taliban threaten Russia's interests in the region and that joint efforts by Russia and Iran to establish regional relations with the Taliban have so far been unsuccessful.
Tarz Press – In an exclusive interview with the Russian media outlet Nezavisimaya, the former Afghan official made these remarks but did not specify exactly which Russian interests are being threatened by the Taliban or how. Amrullah Saleh further mentioned that the Taliban government in Afghanistan is sustained "thanks to the financial and systematic support of the United States." According to him, "the United States is the only country the Taliban respect."
The former Afghan official, referring to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, stated that the U.S. still maintains its core and intelligence influence in Afghanistan and uses it to monitor regional movements. He also claimed that the U.S. pays the Taliban $40 to $80 million weekly, and according to him, this money is sent to the Taliban from Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. Saleh also said that the Taliban only respect the Doha Agreement with the U.S. but reminded regional countries that their interests were not considered in the Doha process.
Amrullah Saleh's comments about U.S. financial support for the Taliban come as the latest report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) states that the U.S. has spent $20.71 billion on Afghanistan and its refugees since 2021.
