USAID has been in news for its notorious operations of funding Ops. globally. While its role of regime change operations is being discussed, full picture remains unclear when it comes to India.
We add nuance to this discourse with what we have reported in the last 4 years.
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From anti-India advocacy groups to U.S. federal commissions, NGOs, terror outfits, and philanthropic networks—USAID's funds flow through all, fuelling multilayered operations to exploit fault lines & destabilize India.
USAID is one common focal point of all!
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While USAID directly sends funds to India, a major benefactor for its global Ops including in India is George Soros’s Open Society Foundations (OSF)
B/w 2002-22, USAID pumped over $16.23m & USD 400m to Soros-backed institutes & Tides group ($27.05m) for interference Ops
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USCIRF has been blacklisting India since 2020 and was exposed by Disinfolab as compromised by OSF-backed individuals. Its ex-commissioner Anurima Bhargava is an OSF fellow. USCIRF influences USAID foreign funding & works together.
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Islamist network:
Duly funded by USAID, OSF has for years funded Islamist groups including outfits with terror links. OSF has funded Muslim Brotherhood affiliates in US, Europe & Palestine including CAIR ($366K), ISNA ($500K), Al-Mezan ($2M), etc.
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Terror-funding:
USAID-funded OSF funds the Muslim Brotherhood front- Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). ISNA’s Canada chapter was banned after it was found funding terror group ROKM in Kashmir. ISNA is also unindicted co-conspirator in Holy Land Foundation case.
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During COVID-19 in 2021, IMANA raised millions to help Indians. IMANA works with Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD), which has direct links with Pak's Falah-e-Insaniyat & Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed's network.
USAID has funded USD 110K to HHRD!
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In 2013, USAID slipped $1.5 m to Muslim Aid, run by a convicted Bangladeshi war criminal & Lt Gen. (retd) of ISI's Analysis Wing, who also worked with Al-Khidmat (‘Charity’ wing of JeI). During COVID-19 pandemic, Muslim Aid raised undisclosed funds in the name of charity.
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Lab previously highlighted the exploitation of India's Caste Faultline by Islamist-linked vulture activists. Fueling this faultline, USAID-funded philanthropist fronts OSF & Tides group which funded Equality Labs in tunes to ~USD 1.5m to amplify this Faultline via fake surveys.
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Similarly, for years OSF & Tides have been funding orgs to draw parallels b/w India & Israel on the pretext of human rights violations. Orgs like Jewish Voice for Peace & Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) got funds from both OSF & Tides to replicate the anti-Israel model against India.
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USAID-Tides money has also flowed into Kashmir via one US-based Mercy Corps which works in conflict areas. In 2014 TIDES gave funding to Mercy Corps for Kashmir Flood Relief. In 2016, Mercy Corps was put under "FOREIGN DONOR AGENCIES PLACED IN PRIOR PERMISSION CATEGORY"
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Mercy Corps’ Kashmir Program Director Usman Rahim Ahmad (US citizen) was member of the “Council for Independent Kashmir” In 1999 which was affiliated with the terror group Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). Rahim was deported from India in 2012.
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Global Media control:
In 2021, BBC did a story on a report by UK establishment project- Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) which as part of its psy-ops report tried projecting Pannun as ‘activist’ & Khalistan as a legitimate demand.
BBC is well-funded by USAID!
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In June '24 Lab exposed how Henry Luce Foundation funded narrative manipulation ahead of India's 2024 elections. HLF founder Henry Luce, who also founded TIME Magazine. HLF members are part of The Asia Foundation, & Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)- duly funded by USAID!
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USAID's imprints are also found in influence ops in India. Previously Lab exposed how the US Embassy's 'anti-disinformation' workshops in India was run by IREX—an org founded by Ford Foundation & funded by Soros. Key IREX have deep USAID ties. Essentially, money flows through US Embassies to IREX (staffed by ex-govt officials) to global influence campaigns.
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Disinfolab also exposed how the US-based Freedom House conceived & ran the project on ‘Transnational Repression’ against India using the Khalistani trope. Freedom House is heavily funded by USAID while it whitewashes Khalistani terrorism to label TNR accusation against India.
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In the last 4 years, we've connected the dots between every element targeting India. But now it was time we revealed USAID's shadowy presence & pivotal role behind each operation.
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The pattern is clear - from NGOs to media, from terror links to political influence, USAID's fingerprints are all over the attempts to destabilize India.
DisinfoLab has done comprehensive reporting and would keep doing so to expose such designs.
Stay Tuned!
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