MONITORING (SW) – The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has published its 2021 High Risk List to alert Members of the US Congress and the Secretaries of State and Defense to major areas of the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan at risk of waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement, or mission failure.
“Right now, that state is under threat. In the wake of the February 2020 withdrawal agreement, all is not well,” John Sopko, the SIGAR said. “Taliban attacks have actually increased since the agreement was signed, as have assassinations of prominent officials, activists, journalists, aid workers, and others.”
This fourth report is issued at a time when peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban are stalled amid continuing high levels of violence, putting the $143 billion reconstruction effort at greater risk than ever before.
It said despite early hopes surrounding the February 29, 2020, U.S.-Taliban agreement and the initiation of Afghan peace talks in September 2020, Taliban attacks on the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) have intensified since the deal, and ANDSF and civilian casualties remain high.
It added as of January 15, 2021, the United States has about 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, the lowest force level since 2001. U.S. funds appropriated for ANDSF support in FY 2021 (roughly $3 billion) are lower than they have been since FY 2008. The report said NATO Resolute Support train, advise, and assist mission advisors have reduced contact with Afghan security ministries and their forces due to U.S. troop reductions and the COVID-19 pandemic.
It further said though some ANDSF capabilities have improved since the last High-Risk List, the force still faces long-term capability and sustainability challenges that require various forms of continued U.S. military support.
Full report: https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/spotlight/2021-High-Risk-List.pdf
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