Official: US troop pullout from Afghanistan risks monitoring of billions in civilian projects

[unhappycamper]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/official-us-troop-pullout-from-afghanistan-risks-monitoring-of-billions-in-civilian-projects/2013/02/13/902381ce-75f7-11e2-9889-60bfcbb02149_story.html

Official: US troop pullout from Afghanistan risks monitoring of billions in civilian projects
By Associated Press, Published: February 13

WASHINGTON — An accelerating U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan this year and next will raise the risk of ill-advised spending of billions in U.S. funds for the country’s rebuilding, the top auditor of U.S. reconstruction spending said Wednesday.

John F. Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghan reconstruction, told the House Oversight Committee that civilians monitoring these projects are allowed to work only within a “safe zone, or bubble” limited to areas within about a 20-minute helicopter flight to a facility that can provide emergency medical care.

“As our U.S. troops continue to withdraw, the amount of territory in Afghanistan that falls outside of the bubble will increase,” Sopko said. “Accordingly, the amount of programs and number of projects that can be monitored and overseen by U.S. personnel will decrease.”

President Barack Obama announced Tuesday in his State of the Union speech that 34,000 U.S. troops will come home from Afghanistan over the coming year, with an unspecified additional number leaving in 2014. There currently are about 66,000 U.S. troops there. The combat mission is due to end at the end of 2014.



unhappycamper comment: If you think our Afghanistan withdrawal goes any better than out Vietnam withdrawal, guess again.

[PADemD]

1. Why are we spending billions rebuilding another country when our infrastructure is crumbling at home

Abandon the projects and get out.