World donors pledge 21 billion for Afghanistan.

This is just part of the article the rest is at the URL noted. About half the aid will be coming from the U.S. This is fitting since it was the US idea in the first place to invade and overthrow the government with the help of the Northern Alliance. Zalmay Khalilzad a Bush protege is already being groomed to run against Karzai so that a more reliable puppet will be installed. All the graft is not just going to Afghans but to foreign contractors and of course the AID is not provided free by the companies that provide the aid. They often make hefty profits. It is a make work and make money project for many foreign firms. If the last round of pledges is any indication many pledges will never be honored.

http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/385246

World donors pledge $21 billion for Afghanistan TheSpec.com - BreakingNews - World donors pledge $21 billion for Afghanistan TimeSincePublished("2008-06-12-13:46:46","2008-06-12","Jun. 12, 2008");-->
PARIS- World donors sought to bolster Afghanistan's fragile leadership Thursday with pledges of more than $21 billion in aid as the need to help secure and feed the country overshadowed concerns about pervasive corruption.The United States led the way, promising $10.2 billion.Donors pledged to co-ordinate their aid better than in the past, when billions poured into the country, often with little oversight. In a final statement, they also urged Afghan officials to tackle corruption.French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, in announcing the final sum, said the figure was beyond his dreams. It exceeds the $15 billion to $20 billion Afghan officials had hoped for."Afghanistan has reached a decisive moment for its future. We must not turn our back on this opportunity," first lady Laura Bush said.The new pledges are in addition to $25 billion pledged by the international community since 2002. However, only $15 billion- 60 per cent- of those previous pledges has been honoured so far.That's because it is almost impossible to police how and where the aid is spent.Security questions loom over every aid project since Karzai's western-backed administration has only a shaky grip on much of the country. The heroin trade is a key part of the economy, as is corruption.Most Afghans lack proper sanitation and 80 per cent have no electricity at home, despite $15 billion in international aid since the Taliban's ouster in 2001. Life expectancy remains under 50 years, and food shortages over the past year have pushed many Afghans to the brink.The Taliban still recruit in desperately poor rural areas, and their insurgency continues to claim lives more than six years after U.S.-led troops invaded following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks blamed on al-Qaida, whose militants the Taliban were sheltering.Afghanistan's still-tenuous security climate was highlighted by tensions over U.S. air strikes that may have killed friendly fighters in Pakistan along the Afghan border. The bombings Tuesday fuelled anti-U.S. sentiment in Pakistan, and could set back efforts to stem violence in the lawless region.Meanwhile, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates was expected to push NATO allies meeting Thursday in Brussels to send more troops and police instructors to Afghanistan. NATO's mission in Afghanistan has more than doubled, to 51,000, over the past two years, but commanders say it still lacks units for critical tasks like air transport and intelligence.. The money is a mix of what Congress already has approved for this year and next, and what the administration is still seeking before it leaves office.Other major donors included the Asian Development Bank, $1.3 billion; the World Bank, $1.1 billion; Britain, $1.2 billion, and the European Union, $775 million.A similar donors' conference in 2006 garnered pledges of $10.5 billion.
http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/385246

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