The Taliban made millions from the World Cup in Qatar

The Taliban have made huge profits from the construction of the stadium for the current World Cup in Qatar. Members of the terror group provided heavy construction equipment, which the construction companies bought or rented at great expense. A lucrative business – the companies apparently paid a total of several million.

“Some Taliban members each owned six to ten heavy machinery in Doha and earned up to £10,000 per machine per month,” Britain’s newspaper The Telegraph quoted their source as saying. The money for the machines apparently came from payments agreed with the UN and the US.

Before the US withdrew its troops from Afghanistan in August 2021 and the Taliban came to power, a large part of the Taliban leadership lived in the Qatari capital Doha, where peace talks with the US and the UN took place. To facilitate talks with the West, Qatari authorities – with US and UN approval – have allowed Afghan political officials to live in luxury.

“In Doha it was an open secret”

In addition to expensive SUVs, regular food deliveries and accommodation described as “little castles”, Taliban representatives received a monthly salary for the duration of the talks. They apparently invested this money in construction equipment, as several sources report.

“It was an open secret at the Afghan embassy in Doha that the representatives were paid well and that they invested those salaries in construction equipment for the World Cup,” a former senior Afghan diplomat in Doha told the Telegraph.

However, in a statement from the Taliban, they reject the claims. “No official of the Islamic Emirate has invested lucrative fees for heavy machinery and/or passed on such machinery to Qatari companies,” the newspaper said.

Public floggings and stonings

But two Taliban officials have independently released details of their organization’s involvement in the World Cup after expressing frustration at the behavior of leaders in Afghanistan. While the representatives in Doha lead a luxurious life, they pursue conservative policies at home. This does not suit the compatriots and causes resentment.

Last week, the Taliban announced a return to harsh Sharia punishments in Afghanistan, including stoning and flogging. Girls are no longer allowed to attend secondary schools. And women are prohibited from working or using public spaces such as parks, amusement parks and gyms.

When the Taliban came back to power in August last year, they initially announced their intention to be less harsh than during their first reign from 1996 to 2001. (hei)