3 hours ago
Last Updated:February 05, 2025, 19:06 IST
The USAID provided $110,000 to Michigan-based charity HHRD which had ties to Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, which is a US-designated terror group.
Hafiz Saeed, founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, is accused of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed more than 166 people. (IMAGE: REUTERS)
The United States Agency for Development (USAID) which is facing the ire of DOGE head Elon Musk provided $110,000 in 2019 to a terrorist organisation in Pakistan, which has targeted India and played a major role in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
Amjad Taha, author and researcher, in a post on social media pointed out that the USAID provided approximately $110,000 in funding to organizations in South Asia with alleged ties to jihadist groups.
One such organization was Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD), a Michigan-based charity. HHRD was reported to have connections with Pakistan’s Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), which the US designated as a terrorist organization due to its association with the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Did you know that USAID provided $110,000 in funding to jihadist groups in South Asia, including one that targeted India? When exposed, they merely launched an internal investigation. USAID funded HHRD, a Michigan-based Islamist charity with ties to jihadist groups, including…— Amjad Taha أمجد طه (@amjadt25) February 3, 2025
The social media post came as the Trump administration on Tuesday announced that it was going to put on leave all directly hired employees of the USAID globally and recall thousands of personnel working overseas.
USAID’s workforce totals more than 10,000, with about two-thirds of that staff serving overseas, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The agency has more than 60 country and regional missions.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, who was appointed by President Donald Trump to oversee the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said USAID is a “criminal organization" and “beyond repair" earlier in February.
The Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) is a Pakistani charity organization established in 1990 by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the founder of the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Headquartered in Lahore, FIF showed that it was dedicated to humanitarian efforts but it was later widely recognized as a front for LeT.
In 2010, the US Department of State designated FIF as a terrorist organization, citing its close connections to LeT.
In February 2019, Pakistan’s Security Committee decided to proscribe both Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and FIF under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.
A report by the New Indian Express said that FIF remained active in cyberspace, utilizing online platforms to continue its activities.
Location :Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
First Published:February 05, 2025, 19:00 IST
News world USAID, Facing Elon Musk’s Ire, Once Funded Terror Group Tied To Pakistan’s Hafiz Saeed: Report
