WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Sopko highlighted the very public failure of the business Task Force in spending $43 million on a natural gas filling station in Afghanistan where there was little to no infrastructure or local demand to justify the CNG station.
"To date, SIGAR has not been able to find credible evidence showing that TFBSO's [the Task Force for Business and Stability Operations in Afghanistan] activities in Afghanistan produced the intended economic growth or stabilization outcomes that justified its creation," Sopko said on Wednesday.
Over the course of its engagement in Afghanistan, the United States has spent hundreds of billions on both the war and reconstruction efforts.
Despite the investments, SIGAR concluded that the Task Force "did not achieve most of its goals, both in the short-term and, it would appear, in the long-term."
The TFBSO began operations in Afghanistan under Pentagon guidance in early 2010 and concluded in December 2014. Over the course of its operations, the task force was authorized to spend $822 million to enhance business and security opportunities in the war-torn country.
