U.S. Wastes Billions in Afghanistan Amid Unrealistic Mission
Published on Wednesday, the report wraps up a 17-year probe by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).
The investigation uncovered 1,327 cases of waste, fraud, and abuse totaling between $26 billion and $29.2 billion, most of which stemmed from inefficiency and the incorrect handling of resources. Fraud accounted for roughly 2% of the losses, and abuse made up 4%.
The watchdog emphasized that over $4.6 billion in taxpayer funds could have been preserved.
According to SIGAR, America’s “20-year mission to build a stable, democratic” Afghanistan ultimately failed, hindered from the beginning by overly ambitious expectations and worsened by corruption and financial mismanagement.
The report suggested that Afghanistan should act as a warning for policymakers, indicating that any future reconstruction projects of similar magnitude must recognize the inherent risk of failure from the outset.
The United States entered Afghanistan in late 2001 following the September 11 attacks, which Washington attributed to Al-Qaeda.
The group’s leaders, including Osama bin Laden, operated from Taliban-controlled areas. By 2021, the U.S. had spent $763 billion on military operations and nearly $145 billion on reconstruction, according to SIGAR.
American forces withdrew hastily in July 2021, just a month before the Taliban retook Kabul and toppled the Western-supported government.
The exit left behind vast quantities of military hardware and infrastructure, including Bagram Air Base, which had served as the central hub for the invasion.
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