US cuts $25 million lifeline for Afghan university

The United States has withheld a $25 million grant to the American University of Afghanistan, a sum that accounted for nearly 90 percent of the institution's budget as of 2018. This financial lifeline supported roughly 1,000 students, three quarters of whom are women, at one of the few remaining campuses where Afghan women can pursue higher education.

The university opened in 2006 after former First Lady Laura Bush announced a US commitment to the project. Bush described the effort as a way to train future leaders, particularly women, and to build goodwill for the interim government following the Taliban's first fall from power. At the time, USAID director Patrick Fine noted that agency staff viewed the project as risky, while critics questioned the value of the spending.

Scrutiny of the university's finances began in 2016 when US inspectors launched an investigation. By 2018, the probe concluded that poor accounting practices made it difficult to track how aid money was spent. John Sopko, a former federal inspector general who oversaw the review, expressed surprise that funding continued despite these findings. He told reporters, "I was surprised they were still funding AUAF."

The State Department confirmed the funding halt to Deutsche Welle this week, citing the university's history of repeated lack of accountability for taxpayer dollars. Fine, who now works in private consulting, rejected this reasoning as smear tactics. He argued that while audits revealed struggles with complex regulations, they did not uncover major fraud, calling the university a worthy investment given its unique access to Afghan women.

The decision arrives after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 and subsequently banned women from higher education in December 2022. Many students, including one identified as Laila, now study through the university's online program from home. Laila, a political science major in her mid-twenties, said she joins lectures with classmates who use aliases to protect their identities. She noted that some peers have received threatening calls and that officials have searched her family home multiple times.

The State Department stated that the university remains free to seek other partners, meaning the end of US funding does not automatically close the institution. However, the loss of the primary donor creates significant uncertainty. Laila said the news has crushed her motivation. She had expected to graduate years ago and pursue a master's degree abroad, but now she wonders if she will complete her studies within the next five to ten years.