the Paradox lies in the fact that on Capitol hill regularly receives reports on the real situation in Afghanistan. And in them it over and over again is about the rampant corruption, low efficiency and irregularities in the work of U.S. government agencies in this country. However, many of the congressmen, politicians and influential officials in Washington prefer to keep quiet because, obviously, firmly “sitting” on prevailing in Afghanistan over the past 20 years of corruption schemes and fraud.
Since 2001, the restoration of the occupied mountainous country, Americans have invested over 137 billion dollars (not counting the 740 billion spent in direct hostilities). Such an astronomical figure in February resulted in his report to Congress special inspector General of the United States for Afghanistan reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko, noting that this amount in today’s prices much higher than the postwar Marshall plan for Europe.
This inspector position was introduced in 2008 primarily to audit over the expenditure of Federal funds, U.S. on Afghanistan. Already at the time and in the background polivshihsya in Kabul cash flows of the average American taxpayer had to stump officially announced the SIGAR mission is “to identify and prevent fraud, waste and violations during the US-funded reconstruction programmes in Afghanistan.” How quickly out hand in this difficult case in 2012, Sopko, violations of financial discipline, but rather of corruption and kickbacks were involved and the state Department and the Pentagon, and the U.S. Agency for international development (USIAD). The last of the Washington office, according to reports, he particularly excelled in the field of “cuts” – in his line corrupt prikarmlivat to 50 percent of the allocated funds. There is evidence that in the case of the programme for the advancement of women in Afghan Badakhshan and the Host share has bureaucrats funds reached 90-95 percent.
Used in this scheme is quite simple: USIAD through their contractors and subcontractors shall transfer the funds for a particular humanitarian project partners in Afghanistan behind Kabul it deliberately inflated the price. After cashing out of the contract “Delta” is returned from the American office parties. So, after office SIGAR audit of one of the projects USIAD it became clear that allocated for this Agency money to the Afghan Ministry of health was “at risk of waste, fraud and abuse”.
Not far behind from their civilian lovers to make money on humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and the US defense Department, independently implements a program for restorethe revival of the Afghan economy. Restore her American generals with an unusual, but easily explained generosity. In one of his many reports to Congress, John Sopko cited the following fact: the U.S. Department of defense through contractors spent $ 43 million on the construction of a gas filling station in Sheberghan, Afghanistan, the real value of which is a quarter of this amount.
“the Ministry of defence borrowed from the American taxpayers $ 43 million in order to, apparently, build the most expensive gas station in the world,” sarcastically said inspector-General. About that, where did the remaining three quarters, the official tactfully silent.
against this background, SIGAR uncovered the embezzlement of $ 150 million on the creation of VIP living conditions in Afghanistan for the leadership of the villas or thrown to the wind 486 million dollars to the American taxpayers on the unused transport planes (they were later sold for scrap for 32 thousand dollars) – it doesn’t seem anything out of the ordinary.
the question Arises: might such a substantial cash infusion from the US somehow helped ordinary Afghans to build a safe and law-abiding country? Alas, but the disappointing Sopko: “throw billions of dollars into the Afghan economy by international donors under the leadership of the United States rapidly increased the risks of corruption. The United States and their partners spent too much too quickly with very little supervision.” According to him, cost the U.S. $ 9 billion project for the fight against drugs “can be considered successful only if the goal was to achieve a historical record for the cultivation of cannabis and opium”.
However, any attempt by the White house to limit the amount thrown in the “bottomless Afghan barrel” funds, it seems, inevitably met with covert resistance “sitting on corruption topics” American officials, lobbyists, the military industrial complex and associated military.
in March, Secretary of state Mike Pompeo announced the reduction of financial support for Kabul for $ 1 billion. Reduce costs, the U.S. Senate, have demanded the defense Ministry, however, neither in that, nor in other case no information about decrease going to Afghanistan financial flows not.
the Reason for this, it seems that all the “juicy” contracts secretly lobbying in Washington around selfishly interested in them. “a gold mine” – the purchase of arms and ammunition for American and NATO troops and Afghan security forces. Experts estimate that the U.S. build a production line of 5.56 mm cartridges for small arms in Afghanistan, the cost of a single shot from a used KoaLicia and partly Afghan army automatic rifles M-4 would be 12 cents. However, since 2001, tens of millions of such ammunition are supplied by the Pentagon through a network of contractors for about 57 cents each. At the same time to talk about financial transparency, and hence cleanliness, is not necessary, because the support to the Afghan security forces is the US through its own Fund, not the international structure.
Another example of a broken Washington in 2017, the failure of the Afghan air force from using Russian Mi-17 helicopters and their replacement by ill-adapted to the harsh conditions of the highlands and expensive American cars the UH-60 Black hawk. Is it any wonder that some members of Congress actively lobbied for this decision with only one purpose – to obtain “donations” to their campaigns from the helicopter company Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., which produces the “Black hawks”.
by the Way, this exceptional American military-industrial complex the project is actively disliked to Kabul, the political dependency which that time, that now plays into the hands of corrupt officials in the United States. And all the efforts of the Afghan leadership to control members of the country’s financial flows, such as the April attempt of President Ashraf Ghani to close his administration of the relevant division of the Ministry of Finance, receive a sharp rebuff from Washington. On distant shores of the Potomac are not going to admit to “money bags” even his players.
