The report describes the activities of the U.S. Government in support of OES, as well as the work of the DoD, the Department of State (State), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to further the U.S. Government’s policy goals in Afghanistan. This report also discusses the planned, ongoing, and completed oversight work conducted by the Lead IG agencies—the DoD, State, and USAID OIGs—and our partner oversight agencies. This report submitted by the Lead Inspector General for Operation Enduring Sentinel (OES) summarizes the events that took place in Afghanistan from July to December, including the status of terrorist organizations, such as ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), al-Qaeda, and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), as well as U.S. diplomatic and humanitarian efforts related to Afghanistan.
On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued an Executive Order to review foreign assistance programs for their consistency with U.S. policy. On April 4, 2025, the President instructed agencies to suspend any assistance that could possibly reach the hands of the Taliban. No U.S. foreign assistance has been provided to Afghanistan since then, State said. Two education programs supporting Afghan nationals were allowed to continue because no financial resources were expended inside Afghanistan.
During the quarter, the Afghan people experienced war with Pakistan, economic crisis, and massive refugee and migrant returns. These, along with health and food insecurity, contributed to a deteriorating humanitarian situation. According to the United Nations, approximately 21.9 million people, close to half of Afghanistan’s population, require humanitarian assistance, including more than 11.6 million children. Afghans continued to face challenges in accessing humanitarian services, including due to Taliban interference with assistance delivery and restrictions on female aid workers.