US taxpayers unnecessarily spent 28 million US dollar (185 mio. DKR) on uniforms for the Afghan National Army, according to the US inspector general tasked with overseeing the war.
In a scathing report, John Sopko said that officials bought "forest" pattern uniforms, despite the country's landscape being only 2.1 per cent wooded.
In the 17-page report, Mr Sopko writes that former defense minister Abdul Rahim Wardak chose the privately owned pattern over a cheaper pattern that the US military already owned.
"We wasted 28 million dollar of taxpayers' money in the name of fashion, because the defence minister thought that that pattern was pretty", Mr. Sopko noted, according to USA To day.
The Pentagon has spent 93 million dollar on the uniforms since 2007. Switching to a camouflage pattern owned by the U.S. military could save taxpayers as much as 71 million dollar over the next decade, the inspector general found.
In January, Mr. Sopko said there was evidence that Taliban leaders had instructed commanders to purchase US fuel, ammunition and weapons from Afghan soldiers, because it is cheaper.
The US Congress has appropriated 66 billion dollar to train, equip and house Afghan security forces.
Også Danmark har oplevet bistandsskandaler i det dybt korrupte land – se https://globalnyt.dk/content/medie-elever-undervises-i-sharia-paa-dansk-stoettede-skoler-i-afghanistan og
https://globalnyt.dk/content/opstandelse-og-vantro-efter-afghanistan-dokumentar
