By Radio Free Afghanistan
March 1, 2021
A U.S. government watchdog says the United States has wasted about $2.4 billion on assets such as buildings and vehicles that were either unused or abandoned, had not been used for their intended purposes, had deteriorated, or were destroyed.
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which oversees U.S. money spent on the Afghan conflict, said in a report released on March 1 that it reviewed nearly $7.8 billion spent since 2008 on capital assets.
More than $1.2 billion went to pay for assets that were being used as intended, and only $343.2 million worth of buildings and vehicles “were maintained in good condition,” according to SIGAR.
“The fact that so many capital assets wound up not used, deteriorated or abandoned should have been a major cause of concern for the agencies financing these projects,” John F. Sopko, the special inspector general, said in the report.
SIGAR’s latest report comes as U.S. President Joe Biden is reviewing a February 2020 U.S. deal with the Taliban that is expected to determine whether foreign troops withdrawal from Afghanistan by May 1 in accordance with the agreement.
Talks begun in September in the Qatari capital, Doha, between the Afghan government and Taliban have stalled with all sides accusing the other of violating the deal.
The Taliban has complied with its commitment to halt attacks on U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan, but the militants have ramped up attacks on Afghan government forces and refused calls for a cease-fire.