Nearly $30bn lost to waste, fraud in Afghanistan reconstruction: US watchdog
Nearly $30 billion in American funds were wasted, stolen or misused during two decades of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan (MNTV) — Nearly $30 billion in American funds were wasted, stolen or misused during two decades of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said in a sweeping final review, concluding that Washington’s $145 billion state-building effort delivered only “limited and fragile” gains.
In its last comprehensive assessment before shutting down next year, SIGAR said it identified 1,327 cases of waste, fraud and abuse between 2002 and 2021, totaling between $26 billion and $29.2 billion — most of it classified as waste.
The United States spent $144.7 billion on reconstruction, including $90.5 billion to build Afghan security forces, $36.3 billion on governance and development, and $4.3 billion on humanitarian aid. But the watchdog said many programs were unrealistic, rushed or unsustainable, with numerous projects collapsing after the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021.
SIGAR said U.S. agencies pursued goals “far too large and long-term,” driven by political and military timelines that encouraged “quick fixes” rather than deliberate planning. Billions went into facilities that were unneeded, never used or impossible for Afghan institutions to maintain.
Major failures included $486 million spent on 20 Italian-made G222 transport aircraft that were barely flown before being scrapped, a $335 million diesel power plant that struggled to operate, and $7.3 billion in counter-narcotics programs that failed to curb opium production.
Corruption across Afghan institutions and U.S.-funded programs was “pervasive and corrosive,” SIGAR said, fueling patronage networks and undermining public trust. Both Washington and the former Afghan government failed to adequately confront the problem, contributing to the collapse of the U.S.-backed Afghan state in 2021.
Efforts to build Afghan security forces were weakened by inflated troop rolls, reliance on foreign contractors and equipment Afghan units could not maintain. Forces were structured around “high levels of technical support that disappeared almost overnight” when American troops departed.
SIGAR said progress in areas such as education, media freedoms and public health did occur but remained uneven and easily reversible.
The watchdog’s investigations led to 171 criminal convictions and $1.7 billion in fines and recoveries. Its audits and suspensions prevented or redirected another $2.9 billion, providing more than $4.6 billion in financial benefits for U.S. taxpayers.
Created by Congress in 2008, SIGAR is set to close on Jan. 31, 2026, under a provision in last year’s U.S. defense policy bill.
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