Government watchdog examines collapse of Afghan security forces

The report, published Monday, says poor planning by the Pentagon contributed to the collapse of the Afghan security forces following the August 2021 withdrawal of U.S. troops. The report also said there was insufficient oversight over resources sent to the country. An estimated $7.1 billion in military equipment was seized by the Taliban as the Western-backed government fell, according to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). The SIGAR report also said the Afghan government’s lack of national security strategy contributed to the Taliban’s return to power.

What else was disclosed in the report? Beginning in 2002, the United States allocated nearly $90 billion to support the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. According to the report, a withdrawal agreement signed in 2020 by the U.S. and the Taliban weakened morale among Afghan soldiers, making it more difficult to fight the Taliban.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in World Tour about what Afghanistan looks like one year into the new Taliban rule.