By Kristina Wong
After spending 12 years and nearly $100 billion in rebuilding Afghanistan, the U.S. still lacks a “comprehensive anti-corruption strategy” for its reconstruction activities there, according to a report by the U.S. government watchdog in the country.
The State Department never finalized a 2010 anti-corruption strategy, and the draft strategy and its implementation plan are no longer in effect, says the report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).
Furthermore, the State Department and its embassy in Kabul are unable to assess the progress in developing the Afghan government’s capacity to combat corruption, but have cited corruption as a severe roadblock to creating a stable Afghanistan, the report says.
“Without a comprehensive strategy and a supporting implementation plan, it is difficult to adequately account for the U.S. funds and resources needed to implement anti-corruption programs and activities or demonstrate measurable progress U.S. agencies have made in reducing corruption in Afghanistan,” SIGAR said.