LEAD INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS
OES IN BRIEF
This quarterly report submitted by the Lead Inspector General for Operation Enduring
Sentinel (OES) summarizes the security situation in Afghanistan during the quarter, the
status of terrorist organizations (such as ISIS-Khorasan and al-Qaeda), and U.S. diplomatic
and humanitarian eorts related to Afghanistan.
OCTOBER 1, 2024—DECEMBER 31, 2024OPERATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN
ISIS-K Kills Senior Taliban Oicial p. 6
•
An ISIS-K suicide bomber killed Khalil Rahman Haqqani,
the Taliban’s Minister for Refugees and a U.S.-designated
global terrorist.
•
Haqqani was the most senior member of the Taliban
killed since the group’s 2021 takeover of Afghanistan.
•
The attack was a “significant blow” to the Taliban, and
indicative of ISIS-K’s reach, according to media.
Pakistan Strikes Targets in
Afghanistan pp. 9–11
•
Pakistan launched airstrikes into Afghanistan in December
targeting a Tehrik-e Taliban (TTP) Pakistan camp.
•
Taliban forces retaliated, though tensions later cooled,
and Pakistan continued to engage the Taliban on
security and other issues.
•
The TTP does not directly target U.S. interests, but risk of
collateral damage persists, State said.
Taliban Leader Seeks to Consolidate
Control p. 8
•
Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada announced a
decree to bring military equipment under his control.
•
Akhundzada seeks to limit ministry heads’ control over
military resources, despite his claimed intention of
curtailing smuggling, misuse of arms.
Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) pp. 15–16
•
State reported it issued more than 71,000 SIVs to
Afghan allies between September 1, 2021 and
December 30, 2024.
•
State continued to relocate eligible SIV applicants to
third countries for further visa processing.
•
State improved data sharing with the DoD, reducing
manual processing and maintenance.
Almost Half of All Afghans Require
Humanitarian Assistance;
U.S. is Largest Donor pp. 14–18, 23–29
• The U.S. Government remained the largest humanitarian
donor to Afghanistan.
• In 2025, 22.9 million people—nearly half of Afghanistan’s
population—will require humanitarian assistance.
• The U.S. Government has provided more than $2B in
humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan since the 2021
fall of Kabul.
• Taliban policies continued to hinder the provision of
humanitarian aid.
• U.S. partners adapted to Taliban restrictions on female
employees by using virtual platforms and male guardians.
State’s Partners Made Payments to the
Taliban to Operate pp. 27–28
• The payments by State’s implementing partners providing
humanitarian and other aid included taxes on local sta
salaries and work permit fees.
• One State oice reported that between September 2021
and December 2024 its implementing partners paid $1.8M
to the Taliban for taxes, vehicle registration fees, and
other expenses.
• The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Oice of Foreign
Assets Control authorized these transactions through
general licenses.
Oversight and Investigations
• State faced challenges in accounting for sensitive security
assets, including armored vehicles and firearms, during
the 2021 U.S. embassy evacuation from Kabul.
• USAID OIG was auditing USAID’s oversight of its
implementers’ ability to mitigate security and safety
risks, and Taliban interference with assistance.
• Lead IG agencies and their partner agencies had 34
ongoing oversight projects, and 30 ongoing criminal
investigations related to OES.
