Jakarta –
After the tragedy in the United States (US) on September 11, 2001 or the tragedy of 9/11, it turned out that Afghanistan was involved in the arena of US revenge. At that time, Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban was driven by the US to overthrow the Taliban who were considered to be protecting the Al Qaeda group.
Al Qaeda is a group of people suspected of hijacking US planes and attacking the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington DC. As a result, 2,977 people died in the incident.
Quoted from CNBC, Saturday (11/9/2021), at first, the arena of US revenge against Al Qaeda was carried out alone. However, the idea emerged to involve the people of Afghanistan, which was then controlled by the Taliban. The US formed a military force and also helped Afghanistan topple the Taliban.
Afghanistan is seen as an important part of the overall US counter-insurgency strategy. Taking advantage of Afghanistan not empty-handed, the US is injecting money into the Afghan economy, to providing training to workers.
“Hiring local nationals injects money into the local economy, provides job training, builds support among locals, and can give the US a more sophisticated understanding of the local landscape,” wrote the authors of a 2011 congressional report on military contracts.
The US spent US$ 290 million per day equivalent to Rp 4.1 trillion (exchange rate of Rp. 14,254) for 7,300 days. That’s the amount the US has spent on the 20-year war and development in Afghanistan, according to Brown University’s Costs of War project.
With that much injection every day, Afghans who are part of the US strategy suddenly become millionaires or the so-called ‘9/11 millionaires’. They worked with the US, ranging as translators for US troops to serving as army assistants on war missions for several years.
However, it turns out that there are other facts in the funds provided from the US to Afghanistan. According to a Pentagon analysis, 40% of the $108 billion the US Department of Defense paid contractors in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2012 ended up in the hands of the Taliban.
What are the funds used for? Check the next page.
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