Posted on 03/30/2013 8:01:15 AM PDT by haffast
According to recent testimony by John Sopko, special inspector general for Afghan reconstruction (SIGAR), the United States has spent nearly 100 billion USD to rebuild Afghanistan in the last decade
The decision by the United States Agency for International Development to scrap the completion of a dam project meant to supply electricity to Kandahar, the spiritual home of the Taliban in Afghanistan, is the latest and perhaps largest failure of the United States to use development dollars to create stability by building Afghan infrastructure.
USAID had planned to spend $266 million to repair the Kajaki Dam, located in Helmand province, and to install turbines that would provide electricity to Kandahar City. More than 50 American soldiers were killed taking the area around the dam. USAID now plans to pass responsibility for installation of the turbines to the Afghan national power company, despite the widespread lack of confidence in Afghan government bodies.
The abandonment of the Kajaki project is the latest in a string of failures that were once thought to be essential to the long-term success of the NATO mission in southern Afghanistan. But as the war draws to a close, these projects lie incomplete, and America and its allies seem content to abandon them.
“Honestly, it’s a tragic waste of blood and treasure,” said Malou Innocent, a foreign policy analyst at CATO. “There’s been so much that’s been invested in Afghanistan. Now we’re recognizing that it’s come at a very steep cost.”
snip
(Excerpt) Read more at rawa.org ...
U.S. special operations forces handed over their base in a strategic district of eastern Afghanistan to local Afghan special forces on Saturday, senior U.S. commanders said. The withdrawal satisfies a demand by Afghan President Hamid Karzai that U.S. forces leave the area after allegations that the Americans' Afghan counterparts committed human rights abuses there on U.S. orders.
http://news.yahoo.com/us-commandos-hand-over-troubled-area-afghans-085617778.html
Afghanistan's Karzai in Qatar 'to discuss Taliban talks'
30 March 2013 Last updated at 08:05 ET
The possibility of the Taliban opening a political office in Qatar is expected to be discussed, officials say.
The setting up of an office in Qatar is regarded as an important step in formalising a channel for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
US-led Western troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21980341
Watchdog: US aid to Afghanistan could be making way to Iran
Published February 14, 2013 - FoxNews.com
Sopko noted that Iran supplies a lot of Afghanistan's oil, and speculated that U.S. dollars could be helping Kabul purchase it.
"The United States could be the biggest violator of the oil embargo," he testified.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/14/watchdog-us-aid-to-afghanistan-could-be-making-way-to-iran/#ixzz2P26f2Hra
Report: US aid could be destabilizing Afghanistan in the long term
By Anna Mulrine, Staff writer / June 8, 2011
A comprehensive congressional report finds that billions of dollars of US aid could be feeding corruption and establishing programs that will collapse when the US leaves.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2011/0608/Report-US-aid-could-be-destabilizing-Afghanistan-in-the-long-term
No churches left in Afghanistan - US State Department
Published 18 October 2011 | Allison Summers, Christian Post
The US State Department has reported that there is not one Christian church or school left in Afghanistan.
The absence of Christian churches and schools exists despite the decade-long war the United States has been fighting against the Taliban and the $440 billion taxpayers have shelled out for the war.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/no.churches.left.in.afghanistan.us.state.department/28778.htm
Mission accomplished Mr. President. You got Bin Laden.
Money well spent. Afghanistan is a paradise and the future of humanity.
NUKE IT FROM ORBIT.
Response: Governmental waste goes without saying.
Comment: Plus the flow of heroin into the West is assured plus the funds that flow from the heroin is also assured to the Politicians.
And USAID is the largest funding of many of our failed Free Trade Communist schemes... so no surprise they blew 400 billion in Assghanistan.
And you will still have the Free Trade NutJobs whine “isolationism and protectionism” whenever the brakes are put on stupid internationalist programs
“Squandered”? Not for Soros and the Democrats.
Squandered? But isnt that how the Muzzies buy weapons to kill us with?
And DoD can’t make payroll...
Wasn’t lunch-bucket loser joe biden going to watch the budget line by line for fraud and so forth? Where are those documents? We should be able to trace all the money...shouldn’t we?
That should have been our 9/12 response.
“our 9/12 response” Yes, sad but so true. Our politicians are so concerned about world opinion and favorable polls they have forgotten their duty to love and protect our country and it’s citizens from foreign attacks.
Clintoon chased Monica rather than Ben Laden & the radical Islamists that did the 1998 embassy, 1993 Trade Center (treated as judicial matter, not terrorism) and Cole attacks. Bush invaded Afghanistan but let the Defense Dept botch the attack on Tora Bora due to too few ground troops committed to Afghanistan at the time. Bush then repeated the too few troop mistake in the Iraq invasion. Our Army raced to Baghdad, but failed to secure armament stores and provide lasting pacification until the later surge. Now, Obama has a cut and run pull out policy which will reopen the door to terrorists in both countries. Plus Obama failed to do any management of the Arab Spring so it has degenerated into a radical Islamist takeover.
Better the bomb on 9/12. The Roman Republic and early Roman Empire knew how to respond to internal and external attacks. Respond with overwhelming force, kill and lay waste to the area and let fear of Rome deter all other potential rivals.
How much or that has been stolen by the corrupt politicians?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.