The USAID is in the crosshairs of DOGE, a newly established entity by Donald Trump, entrusted with the aim of cutting down wasteful expenditure and reducing bureaucracy.
Numerous damaging revelations are tumbling out of the Agency’s closet, and the latest and most damaging documents reveal that the Aid Agency had paid for the education of one of the most dreaded Al Qaeda terrorists.
The terrorist in question is Anwar al-Awlaki, whose education at Colorado State University was bankrolled by USAID. Anwar al-Awlaki was killed in a US drone strike in 2011 in Yemen.
The latest revelations came amidst Musk-led DOGE’s crackdown on USAID.
Media house Fox News has cited social media posts featuring a USAID form from June 1990, in which Anwar al-Awlaki was asking for federal funding to study at Colorado State University. The documents were first unearthed by the National Security Archive, which is a research and archival body of George Washington University.
USAID PAID TUITION FOR FUTURE AL QAEDA LEADER
Bombshell documents confirm USAID funded Anwar al-Awlaki’s college tuition, years before he became a top al Qaeda recruiter and was taken out by a U.S drone strike.
Al-Awlaki lied about his nationality, scamming his way into a… pic.twitter.com/3xMDJrfZrS
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 11, 2025
Trump and Musk have already stated that they want USAID to be shut down. Efforts in this direction have already started with the removal of the agency’s signage from its headquarters; workers have been asked to work from home. The Trump administration is also seeking to place 2,200 USAID employees on leave.
Anwar al-Awlaki is a dreaded Al Qaeda terrorist and occupies a prominent position in the higher echelons of the terror hierarchy. He was the main suspect in the Fort Hood, Texas, mass shooting in 2009, in which 13 people were killed. The Obama administration had authorized a drone strike in Yemen in 2011, in which Anwar al-Awlaki was killed. His parents were Yemenis who had migrated to the US. He was born in 1971 in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and was raised both in Yemen and in the US.
In his USAID form, al-Awlaki falsely claimed to be a Yemeni citizen to enable him to qualify for an exchange visa.
Al-Awlaki obtained a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Colorado State University in 1994. However, he did not follow an academic career and instead became a Muslim cleric in Denver, San Diego, and Falls Church, Virginia.
He later shifted to Yemen in 2004. He was also in touch with Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, two of the 9/11 hijackers, and had first met them at a San Diego mosque where he was preaching.
The latest revelations will only hasten the closure of USAID, especially after a number of damning allegations have been made against the agency. As things stand now, the agency cannot carry out its activities since President Trump, by a presidential order, has frozen all US aid programs across the globe except those in Israel and Egypt.
Also Read: USAID’s Full Spending List: How Paying $153M in Bills Landed It in DOGE’s Crosshairs
