$7.3 million Afghan police headquarters funded by U.S. sits unused
$7.3 million Afghan police headquarters funded by U.S. sits unused
“If you build it, they will come,” is a famous quote from the 1989 movie Field of Dreams. But in Afghanistan, the United States is asking itself the opposite question. What if you build it, and nobody shows?
As the U.S. tab for Afghan reconstruction nears $100 billion, America’s top investigator in that country is finding that billions of tax dollars have been wasted on unneeded and underutilized projects, such as the headquarters for the Afghan Border Police in Kunduz province.
Although built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help Afghans maintain their own security, investigators from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, found the $7.3 million facility was sitting largely unused.
“Built with a capacity for 175 persons, only about 12 Afghan personnel were on site during SIGAR’s inspection,” said a report released by the office.
In fact the compound was so deserted that inspectors were unable to complete their evaluation.
...
“Sometimes we’re turning over bases, or we’re turning over hospitals, or clinics or whatever, and the cost of maintaining them is going to drive the Afghan government bankrupt,” he said.
http://www.washingtonguardian.com/copping-out
= new reply since forum marked as read
