Afghanistan Reconstruction Watchdog SIGAR Closing End of January After $148 Billion Report
The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, which monitored corruption and financial waste during America’s two-decade presence in Afghanistan, will shut down by month’s end.
The Washington Times reported Wednesday that SIGAR, established by Congress in 2008, examined over $148 billion spent on Afghanistan reconstruction projects throughout the war.
SIGAR was created to provide independent oversight of US reconstruction spending in Afghanistan following concerns about corruption, waste, and mismanagement. The agency conducted hundreds of audits and investigations, documenting systemic problems including ghost soldiers on Afghanistan military payrolls, unfinished infrastructure projects, and widespread fraud involving American contractors and Afghan officials.
SIGAR’s final December 2025 report stated America spent more money attempting to build a democratic Afghanistan than it did rebuilding European countries under the Marshall Plan after World War II.
The US reconstruction effort in Afghanistan has been widely criticized as one of the most expensive failed nation-building experiments in American history. Despite the massive investment, Afghanistan’s government collapsed within weeks of the August 2021 US withdrawal, with the Taliban rapidly seizing control of the country and reversing many development gains, particularly in women’s rights, education, and governance reforms.
Approximately $7.1 billion worth of military equipment and US-funded weapons remained in Afghanistan when American forces withdrew in 2021 and fell into Taliban hands.
Additionally, $24 billion in civilian and military infrastructure investments funded by American taxpayers was lost following the collapse of the Afghanistan government.
The SIGAR website has been taken offline, with its archived version now preserved in the “Cyber Cemetery” at the University of North Texas.
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