Reported by Suzanne Downing

Of the billions of tax dollars spent by the U.S. Agency for International Development Office that are being questioned by the Trump administration, millions went to fund terrorism.

A multi-year investigation brought by the Justice Department and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia reveals the scope of how funds were used in one recent terrorism-related case.

“The case represents one of the most significant diversions of USAID-funded humanitarian aid that USAID-OIG has investigated,” USAID’s Office of Inspector General said.

It involved a Syrian national, Mahmoud Al Hafyan, who was charged with illegally diverting more than $9 million of taxpayer money through USAID to armed combatant groups, including the Al-Nusrah Front (ANF), a designated foreign terrorist organization affiliated with al-Qaida in Iraq.

According to the indictment, Al Hafyan led a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Syria, managing 160 employees.

Since Syria’s civil war began in 2011, and through 2020, U.S. taxpayers funded more than $12 billion of USAID money to Syria intended for food and medical supplies that was supposed to be administered by United Nations agencies and NGOs.

Read full report: https://mustreadalaska.com/millions-of-dollars-in-usaid-money-funded-terrorism-investigation-shows/