Reconstruction and stabilization activities in Afghanistan have left 5,135 people killed or injured during a period of 17 years following the 2001 U.S.-led invasion Taliban

Special Inspector General forAfghanistan Reconstruction

Enemy attacks included a Taliban car bomb at the U.S. military base at Bagram on December 11 that killed two civilians and injured more than 73 people. The Taliban also claimed an attack in Kunduz Province on December 23 that killed a U.S. Special Forces soldier, the 23rd American death in Afghanistan in 2019. More American servicemembers died in Afghanistan in 2019 than in any year since the beginning of the RS mission in January 2015.98  Two more U.S. soldiers were killed January 11 by a road- side bomb in Kandahar Province.99 Figure 3.30 lists other major security incidents this quarter.

Enemy Attacks in Late 2019 Reach Record-High Levels.

ANDSF Insider Attacks Increase in 2019

According to RS, there were 33 insider attacks on the ANDSF this reporting period (September 1–December 31, 2019) that resulted in 90 casualties, continuing the high levels seen last quarter. This brings the 2019 total to
82 attacks that caused 257 casualties (172 deaths and 85 injuries), a higher number of attacks and casualties than in recent years. Most of the information on the ANDSF is classified.

Enemy attacks in Afghanistan increased considerably in late 2019, accord- ing to data from RS. September 2019, the month of the Afghan presidential election, saw the highest number of enemy-initiated attacks in any month since June 2012 and the highest number of effective enemy-initiated attackssince recording began in January 2010.

AFGHAN NATIONAL ARMY

As of December 31, 2019, the United States had obligated nearly $47.7 bil- lion and disbursed more than $47.5 billion of ASFF from FY 2005 through FY 2018 appropriations to build, train, equip, and sustain the ANA, AAF, and parts of the Afghan Special Security Forces (ASSF). 

U.S. Force Level Slowly Declines

According to DOD, as of December 7, 2019, there are between 12,000 and 13,000 U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan, a decrease from the 14,000 personnel reported in-country earlier this year. Over the last year, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) Commander General Austin Scott Miller said he began adjusting the number of personnel in Afghanistan as part an effort to “optimize” the size of the force based on their objectives and capa- bilities, and risks to the force and to the mission.11

As of October 31, 2019, there were 272,807 ANDSF personnel biometrically enrolled and eligible for pay in the Afghan Personnel and Pay System (APPS)

1. U.S. Reconstruction Funding for Security
2. As of December 31, 2019, the U.S. Congress had appropriated nearly
   $86.4 billion to help the Afghan government provide security in Afghanistan. This accounts for 63% of all U.S. reconstruction funding for Afghanistan since fiscal year (FY) 2002. 
3. Congress established the ASFF in 2005 to build, equip, train, and sustain the ANDSF, which comprises all forces under the MOD and MOI. A signifi- cant portion of ASFF money is used for Afghan Air Force (AAF) aircraft maintenance, and for ANA, AAF, ASSF, and Afghan Local Police (ALP) sala- ries

This report summarizes SIGAR’s oversight work and updates developments in the four major areas of reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan from October 1 to December 31, 2019.* It includes an essay highlighting the danger corruption poses to Afghanistan, and SIGAR’s work in assessing the effectiveness of Afghanistan’s anticorruption strategy.

During this reporting period, SIGAR issued 19 audits, inspections, reviews, and other products assessing U.S. efforts to build the Afghan security forces, improve governance, facilitate economic and social development, and combat the production and sale of narcotics. In this period, SIGAR criminal investigations produced four criminal charges, five convictions, four pretrial diversions, three sentencings, a $45 million global settlement, and over $500,000 in fines.

Investigations highlights include:
• A $45 million global settlement by Unitrans International Inc. to resolve criminal-obstruction charges and civil False Claims Act allegations. During 2011 and 2012, officers of Unitrans, which provided logistical services to Anham, facilitated the transportation of construction materials to Afghanistan through Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran.

• A former U.S. Army Special Forces member, William Todd Chamberlain, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and theft of government property, and faces a combined maximum prison sentence of 15 years, followed by three years’ supervised release, a $500,000 fine, mandatory restitution, and forfeiture of $40,000. Chamberlain conspired with members of his unit to steal cash earmarked for humanitarian projects and counterterrorism operations.

• A prominent Afghan politician, Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani, pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging theft
of public money, after admitting to receiving $100,000 in U.S. government benefits by concealing foreign travel and residency in Afghanistan between July 2015 and December 2018.

This quarter showed that Afghanistan still needs to treat the cancer of corruption if its government is to sustain the donor support it needs to survive. Afghanistan issued its first national anticorruption strategy in 2008, and has pursued variations on it ever since.1 But the United States and other international donors, who fund about three-quarters of public- purpose spending in Afghanistan, as well as Afghan citizens, are growing impatient with the failure of the government’s efforts to make a major impact on the problem.

FOR THE FULL REPORT: HERE