KABUL, AFGHANISTAN- The United States Congress recently passed legislation for $2.1 billion in additional assistance to the Government of Afghanistan in 2006.

 

The United States Congress recently passed legislation for $2.1 billion in additional assistance to the Government of Afghanistan in 2006. This increases the total amount of assistance to Afghanistan to $3.2 billion for this year, nearly tripling the U.S. Government’s pledge of $1.1 billion announced at the London Conference in January 2006 by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

 

The majority of the $3.2 billion United States Government funding will be available for security assistance. Over $2.48 billion will be used in strengthening the Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army. About $587 million will be available for reconstruction, $73 million for democracy and governance, and $120 million for humanitarian and other assistance.

 

Secretary Rice announced at the London Conference that the United States had provided a total of $5.9 billion in assistance to Afghanistan since the donor gathering in Berlin in 2004.