Thursday, May 9, 2013

Why The U.S. Must Now Consider Withholding Vital Aid To Afghanistan

$50 Million In U.S. Funds Stolen From Afghan Bank Account -- Kevin Baron, Foreign Policy

Fifty million dollars in stolen U.S. funds that investigators had located in an Afghan bank account last year have suddenly gone missing while under the Afghan government's watch, according to a top federal watchdog.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko made the stunning revelation in a scathing speech accusing the Afghan government of being a "criminal patronage network" from civil servant to the highest officials. Sopko, warning of an inept oversight of American taxpayer funds, claimed on Wednesday that the millions went missing after his office served the Afghan government an order to freeze the account.

"Briefly put, we identified roughly $50 million stolen from the U.S. government which was sitting in an Afghan bank account," Sopko said, in prepared remarks of a speech delivered at the New America Foundation.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is an outrageous story. Forget about withholding vital aid to Afghanistan .... just cut it .... but they won't. On a side note .... no wonder the U.S. and the West have a problem in Afghanistan .... if thieves can treat you with disrespect and go unpunished .... what message does that send to everyone else.

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