Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction Quarterly Report to the United States Congress, October 30, 2015. “As of March 31, 2015, approximately $110 billion had been appropriated for Afghanistan relief and reconstruction since 2002. These funds are used to build the Afghan National Security Forces, promote good governance, conduct development assistance, and engage in counter-narcotics and anti-corruption efforts. Congress created the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) to provide independent and objective oversight of Afghanistan reconstruction projects and activities. Under the authority of Section 1229 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (P.L. 110-181), SIGAR conducts audits and investigations to: 1) promote efficiency and effectiveness of reconstruction programs and 2) detect and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse…”…a major setback occurred on September 28, when the Taliban seized the city of Kunduz, the first provincial capital the insurgents had captured since 2001. Afghan forces have since retaken the city. Tragically, during the fighting, a U.S. aerial gunship, possibly at the direction of Afghan forces on the ground, fired on a Doctors Without Borders hospital, killing at least 22 people. The commander of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan, General John F. Campbell, has pledged a full investigation into the attack. The ease with which a relatively small number of Taliban fighters overran Kunduz called into question the leadership and readiness of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). The United States has invested the lion’s share of its reconstruction funding, some $65 billion, to build up the Afghan army and police forces [emphasis added]. As outlined in Section 3 of this report, SIGAR has repeatedly raised concerns about ANDSF capabilities and will continue to monitor closely their performance. News reports suggest that tensions over the misbehavior of the Afghan Local Police (ALP) contributed to the collapse of Kunduz’s defenses. This quarter a SIGAR performance audit found that despite the Department of Defense’s spending about $470 million to help support the ALP, the ALP lack logistical support, oversight, and a plan for either disbanding the force or incorporating it into the Afghan National Police…”

• See also Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction Office of Special Projects Report – DoD’s Compressed Natural Gas Filing Station in Afghanistan: An Ill-Conceived $43 Million Project, October 22, 2015.