5/24/18
WASHINGTON — The watchdog responsible for monitoring the U.S. government’s effort to rebuild Afghanistan says the 15-year, $5 billion effort hasn’t worked, according to a report released Thursday. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) says the U.S. set unrealistic expectations for stabilizing Afghanistan on a short timeline, that the Obama administration lacked the political will to invest the necessary time and effort to stabilize the country, and that some efforts to bolster the Afghan government actually backfired. “[Our] overall assessment is that despite some heroic efforts to stabilize insecure and contested areas in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2017, the program mostly failed,” said John Sopko, head of SIGAR, at a Thursday morning event announcing the report. The report examines stabilization efforts from 2002, soon after the U.S. began military operations in the country, to 2017. Some efforts to introduce increased Afghan government control also produced unintended consequences, according to the report, because they created more opportunities for corruption.
By 2008, the security situation in much of the country had deteriorated and insurgent attacks began to mount. The report focuses most of its attention on a period beginning in 2009, when the incoming Obama administration attempted to reverse the decline, and when the U.S. spent the bulk of the $4.7 billion that has been dedicated to stabilization since 2002. But the Obama administration also had a drawdown clock for removing U.S. forces from Afghanistan, and the report says the decision to draw down forces on timelines unrelated to conditions on the ground “had a profound and harmful impact” on later decisions about stabilization.Despite the harsh assessment, SIGAR writes that future efforts to stabilize other nations should not be abandoned. “Poor results of this particular stabilization mission make it tempting to conclude that stabilization should not be conducted in the future at all,” says the report. Future efforts could be successful, the report concludes, if there are realistic expectations of the level of effort required and what is achievable, better preparation and improved oversight.
5 Billion? :lamo How astronomically stupid does the author have to be to think we've only wasted 5 billion in Afghanistan? We've wasted directly hundreds of billions and indirectly trillions in Afghanistan. Nobody bats an eye at this but when Bernie says we should spend a tiny fraction of this on actual Americans instead it's hysteria and cries of socialist unicorn fantasy time. You have ****ty ass priorities, America.
Afghanistan... 16 years, 3 Administrations and associated Congresses, tens of thousands dead, hundreds of thousands injured, overwhelmed VA, Billions spent... no end in sight, and still a mess.
When will we learn?
Many of us knew as it began that it would end this way. That is, some part of the population DOES learn from history. We supposedly "learned a lesson" in Vietnam, and the whole world watched Russia fail in Afghanistan. Alexander the Great failed in Afghanistan.
The Global War On Terror is a hoax, and many people have been pointing that out since it began. It was brought under fraud, plain and simple.
But hell, it's been wonderful for the bottom line of war profiteers. Yes George, Mission Accomplished!
U.S. effort to stabilize Afghanistan is $5 billion failure, watchdog says
Sobering, yet not unexpected.
The ting is alexander the great actually did good there, it was the religious supercenter of the world specifically the balk province. However we chose to dispose of the northern alliance whic was experienced at fighting the taliban and baced by both eastern and weastern govts, because we did not want moderate islamic rule.
The problem is moderate rule is the best you could hope for there. The country is ruled by tribal factions and village elders, trying to form a central govt that runs all will fail, they run more like feudalism, where the leader has the support of the local govts, and the local govts act by their elders word.
The bigger "problem" is that we invaded that country under fraud, and in violation of numerous international agreements. And of course another big problem is what it has done to our treasury, both of money and good young men. And course equipment and morale.
Other than legitimate trade interests with the people of Afghanistan, we have no business there.
What was the "fraud"?
I am wondering the same. Considering what took place on 9/11/01, the war in Afghanistan is 100% justified. My only problem with that war is that we are are not doing what it would take to bring the war to a quicker conclusion. In that way it is similar to Vietnam. As long as we continue allow the Taliban to slip back over the Pakistani border to re-arm, and regroup, the war will never end. They will just wait us out. Part of winning a war is cutting off your enemy's supply lines by any means necessary. If that means going into Pakistan to clean out the tribal areas that support the Taliban, so be it.
First, “the attacks in New York and Washington DC were criminal attacks, not ‘armed attacks’ by another state”. Second, “there was not an imminent threat of an armed attack on the US after September 11, or the US would not have waited three weeks before initiating its bombing campaign”.
I am wondering the same. Considering what took place on 9/11/01, the war in Afghanistan is 100% justified. My only problem with that war is that we are are not doing what it would take to bring the war to a quicker conclusion. In that way it is similar to Vietnam. As long as we continue allow the Taliban to slip back over the Pakistani border to re-arm, and regroup, the war will never end. They will just wait us out. Part of winning a war is cutting off your enemy's supply lines by any means necessary. If that means going into Pakistan to clean out the tribal areas that support the Taliban, so be it.
U.S. effort to stabilize Afghanistan is $5 billion failure, watchdog says
Sobering, yet not unexpected.
Yes, considering what took place on 911.
What took place that day was not caused by anybody or anything in Afghanistan, so how do you justify our invasion there? Why was it brought under fraud? Why did the heads of the commission state in public they were set up to fail? Why did that commission state 63 times that "we found no evidence" supporting various claims of that fantasy?
Incorrect...
Afghanistan sheltered Bin Ladin who was most definitely involved with the 9/11 attacks.
I am wondering the same. Considering what took place on 9/11/01, the war in Afghanistan is 100% justified. My only problem with that war is that we are are not doing what it would take to bring the war to a quicker conclusion. In that way it is similar to Vietnam. As long as we continue allow the Taliban to slip back over the Pakistani border to re-arm, and regroup, the war will never end. They will just wait us out. Part of winning a war is cutting off your enemy's supply lines by any means necessary. If that means going into Pakistan to clean out the tribal areas that support the Taliban, so be it.
Incorrect...
Afghanistan sheltered Bin Ladin who was most definitely involved with the 9/11 attacks.
Nothing to say about the complete waste of money , not to mention the war crimes carried out in Afghanistan ?
Did Afghanistan attack the USA on 9/11 ?
LOL Is he still there?
Osama Bin Ladin was instrumental in the attacks and was protected by Afghanistan.
Oh, and what "war crimes"?
OBL wasn't even on the FBI website in connection for the 9/11 attacks IIRC
No matter, the question remains
Did Afghanistan attack the USA on 9/11 ?
Yes or no ?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...ns-submitted-court-isis-taliban-a8214301.html
OBL wasn't even on the FBI website in connection for the 9/11 attacks IIRC
Did Afghanistan attack the USA on 9/11 ?
Yes or no ?
OBL wasn't even on the FBI website in connection for the 9/11 attacks IIRC
No matter, the question remains
Did Afghanistan attack the USA on 9/11 ?
Yes or no ?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...ns-submitted-court-isis-taliban-a8214301.html
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?