Afghanistan: 91% of aid to 60 audited projects misallocated, claims SIGAR study

A study by John F Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) suggests that 91% of funding granted to 60 audited Afghan projects is wasted or misallocated. SIGAR said in a recent report that in 2021, it audited a sample of 60 US infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, and discovered that USD 723.8 million, or 91%, had gone towards assets that were unused or abandoned. According to Tolo News, SIGAR concluded the reconstruction projects were not finished adequately.

The report had previously voiced worries about the former Afghan government's institutions being riddled with corruption. According to Tolo News, economic analysts believe that administrative corruption in the previous government was the primary reason for the waste of foreign investment in Afghanistan. A political analyst named Sayed Hakim Kamal stated that the international community's assistance-supported initiatives were not effectively completed. The projects were tainted with corruption, and they did not contribute to long-term infrastructure. According to him, it was a mistake to sign these contracts, reported Tolo News.

SIGAR has also chastised the State Department and Pentagon

Meanwhile, SIGAR has also chastised the  State Department and Pentagon for concealing vital information regarding their work in Afghanistan, which definitely would have aided Congress and the public in judging whether progress was being made, according to CNN. Sopko called on the two agencies to share all relevant material while speaking at the Military Reporters & Editors Association Annual Conference in Arlington, Virginia, on Friday. According to CNN, he claimed that the Defense Department's information restriction, which he claims dates back to 2015, would have aided Congress and the public in determining whether they should have halted their efforts in Afghanistan. According to Sopko, the Defense Department has restricted the public release of casualty data, unit strength, training and operation deficiencies, Afghan military leadership's tactical and operational readiness, comprehensive assessments of Afghan security force leadership, and operational readiness rates. 

On SIGAR's website immediately after Kabul fell to the Taliban in August, Sopko mocked the State Department's request to temporarily suspend access to all audit, inspection and financial audit reports. Information in the reports, according to the State Department, may put Afghan allies in jeopardy.

Inputs from ANI

Image: AP