'Designated terrorists': Extremist groups raked in millions from USAID, multiyear study reveals

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The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided millions of dollars successful backing to extremist groups tied to designated terrorist organizations and their allies, according to a study published by Middle East Forum, a U.S. deliberation tank.

"The Middle East Forum’s multi-year survey of USAID and State Department spending has uncovered $164 cardinal of approved grants to extremist organizations, with astatine slightest $122 cardinal going to groups aligned with designated terrorists and their supporters," the blimpish deliberation vessel wrote successful its study published Feb. 4. 

"Billions much of national dollars person been fixed to starring American assistance charities which person consistently failed to vet their terror-tied section partners, and amusement small involvement successful improving their practices, to the evident indifference of the national government."

The Middle East Forum’s report focuses specifically connected funds from USAID and the State Department that coiled up successful the hands of extremist groups and organizations tied to terrorism.  

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The deliberation vessel reported that among its apical findings, USAID was recovered to person fixed much than $900,000 to a "Gaza-based panic charity" called Bayader Association for Environment and Development. The backing began successful 2016, and its astir caller allocation was made conscionable days earlier Hamas attacked Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023. 

Bayader describes itself arsenic a nongovernmental enactment (NGO) that works "to physique a civilian society" connected the Gaza Strip. 

"Founded successful 2007, soon aft Hamas’s takeover of the Gaza Strip, Bayader operates successful adjacent practice with the Hamas regime. Its 2021 yearly study notes ‘coordination’ and ‘meetings’ with Hamas’s Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Works, Ministry of Social Affairs and Ministry of Agriculture," the study found. 

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The funds were secured done different NGOs, specified arsenic Catholic Relief Services and medical groups. 

"​​But USAID coordinates straight with Bayader arsenic well," according to the report. "USAID officials person praised Bayader’s enactment connected societal media, and adjacent visited Bayader’s offices, wherever 1 elder USAID official, Jonathan Kamin, received an grant from the terror-linked charity." 

The study besides recovered that USAID approved a $12.5 cardinal assistance successful 2024 to the American Near East Refugee Agency, which is besides "a long-standing partner" of Bayader. The American Near East Refugee Agency is an NGO that was established successful 1968 successful an effort to assistance refugees pursuing the Arab-Israeli War. 

The study recovered staffers with the NGO person repeatedly and publically posted "violent ideas, without evident censure from apical foundation officials." The comments connected societal media posted by employees include: calling connected God to "erase the Jews," expressing enactment for the "brave prisoners" successful Israeli jails during the Hamas-Israel war, and describing Oct. 7, 2023, arsenic a "beautiful morning."

Sam Westrop, the manager of the Middle East Forum's counter-extremism project, Islamist Watch, posted a item thread connected X of the report’s findings, describing the examples arsenic "horrifying."

"USAID won't adjacent archer america however overmuch they gave the Unlimited Friends Association, a Gaza panic foundation which operates with assistance from Hamas. The caput of the foundation promises to ‘cleanse’ their onshore of ‘impure Jews,’" Westrop posted successful the thread of an example. 

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"USAID gave millions to Islamic Relief, whose Gaza subdivision openly works with elder violent officials successful Gaza, including Hamas politburo subordinate Ghazi Hamad. who promised that Hamas would repetition Oct 7 attacks ‘time and again until Israel is annihilated,’" helium posted successful different illustration from the report. 

USAID funds totaling $125,000 were recovered successful the hands of the Islamic Relief Agency (ISRA) successful 2015, contempt the U.S. Treasury designating the radical a global violent enactment successful 2004 owed to its ties to Osama bin Laden. 

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The study continued that USAID "undoubtedly knew of ISRA’s coercion activities. In 2010, the enforcement manager of ISRA’s U.S. subdivision (IARA-USA) and a committee subordinate pleaded blameworthy to money-laundering, theft of nationalist funds, conspiracy, and respective different charges. The plea was listed connected USAID’s ain website," the study found. IARA-USA stands for the Islamic American Relief Agency.

The funds were directed to ISRA via an evangelical foundation called World Vision that works to supply cleanable h2o to areas of Sudan, according to the report. 

A World Vision authoritative told Fox News Digital erstwhile asked astir the study that the foundation earned support to enactment successful Sudan "to assistance physique a amended satellite for the astir susceptible children and their families" and that it takes "compliance obligations seriously."

"As soon arsenic we became alert that a section partner, Islamic Relief Agency, mightiness beryllium connected the database of organizations banned from transactions by the United States, we suspended the assistance and asked the US Government to corroborate its status," the authoritative said. "We would ne'er knowingly enactment those we service oregon our unit astatine hazard by moving with a spouse connected the database of banned organizations. We beryllium to assistance physique a amended satellite for children and their families, serving successful the sanction of Jesus Christ. We person nary grounds that immoderate of our funds person been utilized for thing different than urgent humanitarian work." 

"As a Christian humanitarian organization, we do not compromise our beliefs nor committedness to integrity arsenic we enactment with governments passim the world," the authoritative said. "It is not casual to run successful fragile contexts, yet this is wherever the Lord is calling us.  We stay committed to our imaginativeness of bringing beingness successful each its fullness to susceptible children astir the world." 

Fox News Digital reached retired to Bayader, the American Near East Refugee Agency and Catholic Relief Services but did not person replies. 

USAID is nether occurrence from the Trump administration arsenic the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its chair, Elon Musk, analyse the agency’s spending practices and hole to revamp and perchance shutter the agency. USAID is presently led by interim manager Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

The bureau announced connected its website connected Tuesday, Feb. 4, that astir each unit would beryllium placed connected permission by Friday, making a fewer exceptions for those successful roles related to "mission-critical functions, halfway enactment and specially designated programs." Its overseas missions reportedly besides had been told to unopen down.

Lawmakers, quality outlets and deliberation tanks person dug into past reports related to USAID spending amid the evident dismantling of the agency, uncovering countless examples of wealth channeled to questionable organizations oregon programs, specified arsenic creating a mentation of "Sesame Street" successful Iraq oregon backing pottery classes successful Morocco. 

USAID was established successful 1961 nether the Kennedy administration, operating arsenic an autarkic bureau that works intimately with the State Department to allocate civilian overseas aid. Under Rubio, the bureau could beryllium abolished aft its reorganization implicit the coming days, helium said successful a missive to bipartisan lawmakers connected Feb. 3. 

"In consultation with Congress, USAID whitethorn move, reorganize, and integrate definite missions, bureaus, and offices into the Department of State, and the remainder of the Agency whitethorn beryllium abolished accordant with applicable law," Rubio wrote.

Musk, meanwhile, has posted connected X that USAID is simply a "criminal organization" and that it is "time for it to die."

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