Afghanistan occupation mired in corruption, waste and unrealistic goals: SIGAR

A new watchdog report has concluded that the United States’ 20-year effort to build a democratic Afghanistan was doomed by corruption, mismanagement and wildly unrealistic aims — with as much as $29.2 billion lost to waste, fraud and abuse.

The assessment, released on December 3 by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), caps a 17-year investigation into the US-led mission. It found that Washington built an Afghan government and security sector so riddled with graft that it collapsed within days of the 2021 US withdrawal.

SIGAR officials said successive US administrations ignored corruption for more than a decade, allowing contractors and officials — Afghan and American — to siphon off billions. Investigators logged 1,327 cases of misconduct and detailed hundreds of millions wasted on unused aircraft, empty buildings and failed infrastructure.

“The government we created was essentially a white-collar criminal enterprise,” acting inspector general Gene Aloise told reporters.

The report also found the US worked with Afghan warlords accused of serious human rights abuses and tolerated practices such as the sexual exploitation of boys by allied militias.

Legacy resurfaced after Washington shooting

The failures of the occupation have re-entered public debate after a former Afghan special forces member — who worked with CIA-run units — was charged with shooting two National Guardsmen near the White House, killing one. The suspect reportedly suffered severe trauma linked to his wartime service.

In response, US President Donald Trump further tightened asylum rules for Afghans and several other nationalities — a move criticised by rights groups and veterans who say it unfairly punishes former allies.

Billions spent, little achieved

Congress allocated $144.7 billion for reconstruction, more than the inflation-adjusted cost of the post-WWII Marshall Plan. Of that, $38.6 billion funded weapons, vehicles and facilities for Afghan forces, much of which is now in Afghanistan. The US left behind around $7.1 billion in equipment during the withdrawal.

SIGAR says its investigations led to 171 criminal convictions, though some suspects were declared off-limits because of ties to US intelligence agencies.

Aloise also criticised a “lack of cooperation” from officials — particularly under the Biden administration — saying investigators were at one point effectively blocked from accessing information.

More than 2,320 US troops, 69,000 Afghan security personnel and 46,000 civilians were killed during the 20-year war, according to the Costs of War Project at Brown University.

“The cost was much higher than just money,” Aloise said.