U.S. aid to Afghanistan marked with conditions

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to make the $6.4 billion aid package to Afghanistan conditional despite criticism from the White House, Reuters reported the same day. The aid package will focus on economic and development projects through fiscal year 2010.

The conditions include barring the distribution of aid to areas where Afghan officials are engaged with the drug trade or are sympathetic to the insurgency. The bill would also call for the Bush administration to report twice a year to Congress on the flow of Iranian arms into Afghanistan.

“We cannot allow a resurgence of the Taliban. If we do, al Qaeda will once again be able to use Afghanistan as a state-sponsored launching pad for terror,” said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos (D-Calif.)

The White House responded to the bill, claiming that the conditions set an “unrealistically high bar” and would further harm vital areas in need of assistance.

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