SIGAR: US mission in Afghanistan was fraught with corruption and failure.
Two weeks before the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) released a report confirming that the US mission in Afghanistan was fraught with corruption and failure.
The report states that Western countries and international institutions poured huge amounts of money into Afghanistan, fueling corruption. This is while US officials, due to their prioritization of security and political goals, easily overlooked this corruption.
The US agency, which was established in 2008 to assess support efforts in Afghanistan, has submitted its 68th and final quarterly report to Congress.
The SIGAR report reveals shocking details of the waste of resources and widespread corruption during the nearly 20 years of Western intervention in Afghanistan. It also expressed concern about the reduction of US aid under Trump, highlighting the human consequences of the US president’s decisions to reduce aid.
“The State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Immigration told SIGAR that it was not aware of the reasons for the cancellation of some assistance and was not involved in the decision-making process,” SIGAR acknowledged.
According to SIGAR, Washington cut off all foreign aid to Afghanistan in April. The decision followed a January executive order by the president that declared foreign aid and its administration incompatible with the country’s interests and values.