Money from USAID, a statutory body of the US government, went to fund an anti-India outfit labelled a terrorist organisation by the American government itself. The funding of the Pakistan-based Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, which is a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was brought to light even as US President Donald Trump started dismantling USAID with an executive order.-rewrite and start differently
The Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were implicated in the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, which resulted in the deaths of 166 individuals. Among the victims were six Americans, who were among those ruthlessly killed by the Pakistani terrorists. What is even more shocking is that despite being under investigation for funding an Islamist charity with ties to terrorist organisations, USAID continued to release funds to it.
Trump’s executive order on American foreign assistance has cast a looming threat over the US Agency for International Development (USAID). While this may impact several projects in India, there is a silver lining, as USAID funds had been used to support Islamic terrorism, including groups targeting India. One such beneficiary was the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Both LeT and its affiliate, Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD), which are designated terrorist organisations by India and the US, have carried out attacks and fueled terrorism in India, particularly in Jammu & Kashmir.
What’s truly shocking is that American taxpayers’ money was used to fund an organisation that was banned by the US government in 2010. Despite this ban, USAID continued to provide funding to the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation.
According to a US State Department document that banned the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, “The FIF is a Pakistan-based organisation closely linked to the banned terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba and its humanitarian front, Jamaat-ud-Dawa.” The document further states, “In essence, FIF is JUD under a new name, created to bypass scrutiny and sanctions,” and connects it to the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Despite the US government’s ban on FIF, more than half of American foreign aid, which is channeled through USAID, continued to flow to the organisation. The funds were routed via Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD), a Michigan-based Muslim charity with known ties to jihadist groups operating in South Asia.
“USAID funded HHRD, a Michigan-based Islamist charity with connections to jihadist groups, including Pakistan’s Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, a US-designated terrorist organisation involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks,” said Amjad Taha, an expert on Middle Eastern strategic and political affairs. Taha further stated that USAID provided $110,000 in funding to jihadist groups in South Asia, including FIF, which targeted India. “When this was exposed, they simply initiated an internal investigation,” he added.
Charges were brought against the U.S.-based Islamist charity in 2019, accusing it of funding terrorist organisations, if not earlier. It was only revealed last year that the $110,000 grant from USAID to the Islamist charity Helping Hand for Relief and Development was under investigation in 2021. In a 2023 letter to USAID Administrator Samantha Power, Michael T. McCaul, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, raised concerns about USAID’s indirect funding of terrorist groups.
“In October 2021, USAID awarded $110,000 to Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD) through the Ocean Freight Reimbursement Program. This award was made despite longstanding, detailed allegations that HHRD is connected to designated terrorist organisations, terror financiers, and extremist groups,” McCaul wrote.
In 2023, under the Biden administration, USAID provided $73,000 to Helping Hand for Relief and Development. Former President Trump has referred to USAID as part of the “deep state” while pushing for its crackdown.
“This isn’t about shutting down USAID, but about holding accountable the staff who enabled this. Which department are they in now? How are they serving Islamists? Which charity or school are they linked to today?” posted Amjad Taha on X.
Despite the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Lashkar-e-Taiba continues to carry out terror activities in India, with its operatives active in Kashmir and involved in training. The Pakistan-based terror group has also established a proxy outfit, The Resistance Front, which is exacerbating unrest in Kashmir. The TRF has been banned by the Indian government as well. The funding of these designated terror organisations, recognised by the US government, couldn’t have occurred without individuals in high positions facilitating it. A thorough, transparent investigation is essential. In this context, Trump’s move to dismantle USAID offers a silver lining for India.
