US Watchdog: Efforts to Democratize Afghanistan Have Failed
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has stated in its latest report that the United States’ extensive efforts to establish a stable, democratic government in Afghanistan have failed.
According to SIGAR’s findings, the U.S. allocated more than $144 billion for Afghan reconstruction between 2002 and 2021. However, investigations have uncovered over 1,300 instances of fraud, misuse, and misappropriation of resources. SIGAR attributes this to ineffective oversight and poor management.
Since 2009, SIGAR has been tasked with monitoring how U.S. aid to Afghanistan is spent and has published over 900 investigative reports. The watchdog believes that emphasizing security at the expense of addressing the basic needs of the Afghan people was a major factor in the failure of reconstruction efforts.
The report highlights that 2010 marked the peak of U.S. aid to Afghanistan, totaling $16.3 billion. Of the total aid distributed over the last 22 years, $88.8 billion went to security, $35.9 billion to development projects, $7.1 billion to humanitarian aid, and $16.3 billion to administrative costs.
Although official U.S. assistance to Afghanistan ceased in 2025, SIGAR emphasizes that from October 2021 to June 2025, the United States remained the largest humanitarian donor to Afghanistan. During this period, Washington allocated an additional $3.5 billion, 72% of which supported humanitarian work.
SIGAR also identified $541 million in aid as “questionable” and noted that audits and investigations helped prevent the loss of $2.51 billion.
The report underscores widespread mismanagement, systemic corruption, and lack of accountability in the use of aid funds in Afghanistan—issues that continue to raise global concerns about the situation under Taliban rule.
