Corruption in Afghanistan

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News about Afghan Corruption

October 13, 2021. "How Corruption Played a Role in the Demise of the Afghan Government." What went wrong in the two decades leading up to the present crisis. By Wahidullah Azizi, The Diplomat.

September 27, 2021. "The Khalid Payenda Interview (1): An insider's view of politicking, graft and the fall of the Republic", by Kate Clark and Roxanna Shapour, Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN). A former finance minister comments on how he and others faced numerous obstacles to eliminate corruption within the Afghan government.

June 4, 2019. "New commander takes on corruption 'mess' in Afghan police", Reuters, June 4, 2019. General Khoshal Sadat, a police special operations officer, is leading the fight to eliminate corruption within the Ministry of Interior.

May 20, 2019. "Afghanistan's Anti-Corruption Institutions: Too many, and with too few results", by Jelena Bjelica of the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN). A comphrensive look at the Afghan anti-corruption efforts and an examination of the latest Afghan corruption report by UNAMA.

March 26, 2018. "2018 Afghan National Budget 2: Deals done with MPs to get budget through Parliament", Afghanistan Analyst Network. Kate Clark writes about the use of bogus development projects used to get parliament to pass a budget.

January 9, 2018. "Cutting into Afghan Patronage: A Struggle to Make Government Work", by Mujib Mashal, The New York Times.

November 25, 2017. "Targeting Systematic Corruption Through Urban Planning and Adminstrative Reform: Minister Naderi's Story", Eurasia Review, November 25, 2017. The Ministry of Urban Development and Housing (MUDH) is making some progress in decreasing corruption at the national and provincial level.

August 22, 2017. "US Spent $78 Million on Afghan Anti-Corruption Scheme That Failed Epically", Task & Purpose. An expensive project to track customs payments in Afghanistan electronically and crack down on financial corruption has failed miserably.

July 7, 2017. "Resolute Support Counter-corruption professionals discuss ACJC Progress", DVIDS. Advisors for RS HQs meet regularly in a meeting known as the "Stocktake" to monitor the anti-corruption effort in Afghanistan.

May 2, 2017. "Corruption remains one of the main challenges for achieving a self-reliant Afghanistan", European External Action Service (EEAS).

May 1, 2017. "Why We Lost the Afghan War", by Douglas Wissing, Breaking Defense. The author states that a major reason for the failure of the Afghan War thus far has been in non-support of U.S. anti-corruption efforts in Afghanistan.

April 25, 2017. Release of UNAMA's Report 'Afghanistan's Fight Against Corruption: The Other Battlefield, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

December 1, 2016. "Elephants in Afghanistan: The Military's Counterinsurgency Failure", War on the Rocks. Article by Jason Dempsey, a former military advisor to the Afghan police, writes on the role that corruption plays in Afghan society.

May 25, 2016. "Is Afghanistan Really a "Fanatically Corrupt" Country?", The World Post.

April 26, 2016. "Corruption in Afghanistan All but Cripples Women's Team Sports", The New York Times. The women sports programs have become riddled with corruption and undermined by conservative Afghans who have never liked the idea of young women on sports fields. Increasing insecurity and a slow down in the advancement of women's rights have also hurt the growth of womens' sports.

February 2, 2016. "Corruption remains endemic in Afghanistan", European Union.

December 2, 2015. "How Corruption Undermines NATO Operations". Defense One.

November 11, 2015. "Inspector: U.S. Reconstruction in Afghanistan Marred by Chronic Corruption". Gandhara Blog.

November 4, 2015. "Afghan Businessman Convicted in Kabul Bank Fraud Is Still Free to Make Money", The New York Times.

July 2015. "Corruption and Graft in Post-Conflict Afghanistan", Student Pulse, Vol 7., No. 07.

July 8, 2015. "Delivering Humanitarian Aid and Fighting Corruption: Not an Either-Or Proposition", Nonprofit Quarterly. Rick Cohen writes on corruption found at the highest levels of the Afghan government (can you spell "Karzai"?).

May 18, 2015. "Arming the Enemy in Afghanistan". Newsweek. Members of the ANSF are selling their U.S. supplied weapons to the Taliban.

March 15, 2015. "Sarah Chayes: on living in Afghanistan and sleeping with a Kalashnikov". The Guardian. The author of Thieves of State is interviewed.

March 13, 2015. "Border Corruption Costs Afghanistan a Quarter of Its Budget". War is Boring Blog. Kabul loses cash to crooked officials at border crossings and American taxpayers make up the loss.

February 15, 2015. "MEC Announces New Recommendations Aimed at Improving the Afghan Government's UNCAC Self-Assessment". Independent Joint Anti-Corruption Monitoring & Evaluation Committee. The High Officer of Oversight and Anti-Corruption (HOOAC) is faulted for not getting the job done.

February 5, 2015. "Accusations of Police Conspiracy Fuel Controversy Over MoD Fuel Contracts". Tolo News. President Ghan invalidates the award of a fuel contract due to corruption.

December 31, 2014. "Bribery Frees a Drug Kingpin in Afghanistan, Where Cash Often Overrules Justice", The New York Times. The prosecution of this narcotics traffickter was hailed by ISAF as proof that the Afghan criminal judicial system was working; now . . . not so much.

December 27, 2014. "Afghan President Dismisses Officials in Herat Province". Radio Free Europe. Several governmental administrators and all 15 District Chiefs of Police are fired due to corruption.

December 17, 2014. "Experts Say Customs Agents are Main Source of Corruption". Tolo News.

December 16, 2014. "Deadling With Corruption: Hard Lessons Learned in Afghanistan - Analysis", Eurasia Review.

December 1, 2014. "How the U.S. can fight corruption abroad: start by collecting intelligence." Los Angeles Times. Doyle McManus says we can do better and reduce the support provided to insurgents at the same time.

December 1, 2014. "Challenging Corruption in Afghanistan". Transparency International. Six recommendations are offered to beat corruption.

November 30, 2014. "How corruption abroad threatens U.S. national security". Los Angeles Times. Corruption of government in Afghanistan proves to be number one recruiting issue of Taliban.

November 11, 2014. "Afghanistan court increases jail term for Kabul Bank executives". The Economic Times (India).

November 3, 2014. "Afghanistan takes stand against corruption". Central Asia Online. President Ghani appoints new Attorney General.

October 31, 2014. "As Afghanistan War Ends, Congressional Appetite for Oversight Wanes". The D Brief, Defense One.

October 30, 2014. "U.S. Refuses to Stop Giving Contracts to Backers of Afghan Insurgency". The Washington Free Beacon.

October 16, 2014. "UN agency blamed after hundreds of millions diverted from Afghan fund". Fox News. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) failes to provide oversight on funds for the Law and Order Trust fund for Afghanistan or LOFTA and the Afghan crooks run off to Dubai with millions.

May 31, 2014. "Corruption enemy No. 1 for Afghan police". U-T San Diego. The worst threat to the ANP is not the Taliban or insurgents - it is corrupt police.

May 30, 2014. "How Digital Currency Could End Corruption in Afghanistan". Wired.com.

May 14, 2014. "Afghanistan corruption still severe problem, U.S. watchdog says". The Washington Times. John Sopko cites corruption as the biggest driver to instability in Afghanistan and says the US government has not done enough to curb the corruption of high-level Afghan officials.

May 2, 2014. "On the ground in Afghanistan: How to overcome corruption and aid dependency". Devex.com.

April 30, 2014. "Corruption is top threat in Afghanistan, says retired general". Air Force Times. General Allen, former Commander of ISAF in Afghanistan says corruption is worse threat than the Taliban.

April 30, 2014. "Afghanistan Corruption Fostered by U.S., Pentagon Finds". Bloomberg. U.S. should have deployed more accountants and contracting officers.

April 26, 2014. "Six ways corruption undermines Afghanistan". DW.de.

January 17, 2014. "Thousands of Afghans face cold, hungry winter as aid goes missing". Chicago Tribune. Afghan aid agency corrupt and inept.

January 8, 2014. "Afghan Mayor Accused of Grand Theft". Institute for War & Peace Reporting. The mayor of Pul-e Alam, Logar province rapes the bank account.

October 22, 2013. "Afghan businessman accused of channeling aid money to insurgency". Chicago Tribune News.

October 2, 2013. "Afghan prosecutors faulted for lax corruption efforts". The Washington Times. The Afghan Attorney General's Office is failing.

September 16, 2013. "Want to cut the budget? Start with aid to Afghanistan". The Baltimore Sun. One of the most corrupt nations in the world gets millions.

September 12, 2013. "Golden Hammer: IG says U.S. aid dollars unaccounted for in Afghan health program", The Washington Times. A program called Partnership Contracts for Health funded by the U.S. and administered by the Ministry of Pubic Health (MoPH) has millions of dollars unaccounted for.

September 12, 2013. "Audit: U.S. lacks anti-corruption plan for Afghan aid". The Center of Public Integrity. Report criticizes the State Department for failure.

September 8, 2013. "Afghanistan's Million Dollar Minister". The Daily Beast. Minister Mahkdoom Raheen, head of the Ministry of Culture accused of corruption and stealing Afghan cultural treasures.

September 6, 2013. "Afghanistan is Ready for Its Close Up". Strategy Page. U.S. will invest $200 million in satellite and smart phones to curb corruption on USAID projects in Afghanistan.

September 3, 2013. "How to stop 3 new aid crime trends in Afghanistan". DEVEX. Story on the recent uptick in aid-related criminal activity in Afghanistan. Can it get any worse?

August 27, 2013. "USFOR-A increases oversight of Afghan National Army fuel purchases". DVIDS. Actions likely as a result of SIGAR report.

August 14, 2013. "Look at all that Loot". Strategy Page.

August 6, 2013. "The Art of Scam in Afghanistan". Strategy Page.

July 31, 2013. "The last straw in Afghanistan". The Baltimore Sun. Karzai imposes a $1,000 "tax" on U.S. military shipping containers leaving Afghanistan.

July 30, 2013. "Report: Afghan Corruption Threatens US Drawdown". Military.com.

July 24, 2013. "The corruption connection". The Hill's Congress Blog. Article discusses the effects of corruption in Afghanistan and around the world.

July 18, 2013. "Afghanistan's thanks for U.S. generosity: Karzai's regime issues harsh exit levies". The Washington Times. Afghanistan charges U.S. $1,000 to ship cargo containers out of Afghanistan. Karzai also charging us import fees for military equipment we are providing free to the Afghan National Army (ANA).

July 13, 2013. "John Sopko fought the Mafia in Cleveland and now he's fighting fraud and corruption in Afghanistan". Cleveland.com. The head of SIGAR is interviewed.

May 17, 2013. "Airing of Dirty Laundry Raises Afghan Hopes that Corruption will be Tackled". Radio Free Europe.

May 16, 2013. "Afghanistan's Cycle of Corruption". The Daily Beast.

May 14, 2013. "Afghan finance minister offers peek at high-level corruption". Stars and Stripes. Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal provides names.

May 14, 2013. "Following the money for the wrong reasons". Strategy Page.

May 13, 2013. "Corrupt Afghan MPs are named in parliament". BBC News Asia.

May 8, 2013. "Watchdog says government has tried to silence him on Afghanistan". Politico. John Sopko, head of SIGAR, is embarrassing Kabul with revelations.

May 1, 2013. "Secret Cash to Afghan Leader: Corruption or Just Foreign Aid?" NPR. Karzai doles out cash to family, cronies, and warlords.

April 30, 2013. "CIA Cash to Karzai Said to Fit Afghan Patronage system". Bloomberg. Karzai received millions of dollars from the CIA over the years.

April 12, 2013. "The Taliban Is Using US Tax Dollars to Kill American Soldiers in Afghanistan". Business Insider.

April 11, 2013. "Report: Afghan militants could get contract funds". The Seattle Times. DoD contract officials ignoring classified reports.

April 10, 2013. "State Department's direct aid push slammed in wake of Afghan corruption". The Hill's Global Affairs.

February 18, 2013. "Local National Guard Soldier Helps Uncover Corruption in Afghanistan". Oskaloosa News. An Army Sgt helps ruin corrupt Afghan officials plans in a fuel corruption case.

February 17, 2013. "In Kabul's Car Guantanamo, Autos Languish and Trust Dies". The New York Times. Story on seized cars, traffic, police and corruption.

February 17, 2013. "To cut Afghan red tape, bribery is the norm". The Washington Post.

February 10, 2013. "Afghan corruption imperils future success". USA Today.

February 8, 2013. "Corruption Costing Afghanistan Almost $4 Billion: UN Report". International Business Times.

February 7, 2013. "Cost of Afghan corruption rose sharply last year, with half the population paying a bribe". Fox News.

February 6, 2013. "So, this is the office that will investigate Afghanistan's Kam Air?" The Christian Science Monitor. Corrupt Afghan attorney general to investigate.

February 5, 2013. "Afghan corruption, opium, and the strange case of Kam Air". The Christian Science Monitor. The U.S. caves in to Karzai on the blacklisting of an Afghan airlines that smuggles opium.

January 30, 2013. "Afghans Bristle at U.S. Ban on Airline". The New York Times. The U.S. military puts Kam Air on blacklist for transporting drugs.

December 23, 2012. "No Love Lost: Afghan Woman Exposes Corrupt Judge's Unusual Offer". Radio Free Europe.

December 22, 2012. "Karzai: Foreigners to blame for corruption". Army Times.

December 21, 2012. "IG in Afghanistan: $201 M in fuel purchases untraceable". Stars and Stripes.

December 20, 2012. "Corruption! It's How We Roll!". Marking Time.

December 11, 2012. "Kabul is the Best Place in the World to Move Boatloads of Unmarked Cash". Business Insider.

December 11, 2012. "U.S. finds Afghan anti-corruption efforts deeply troubling". The Washington Post.

December 6, 2012. "Afghanistan's Rock-bottom Global Corruption Ranking". The Blog, Huffington Post.

December 3, 2012. "Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 will demand a new tack in Afghanistan". Transparency International.

December 2, 2012. "Karzai's cabal steals the national capital". The Sydney Morning Herald. News on how the Karzai regime (friends and family) stole millions of dollars from the Kabul Bank and shipped it in suitcases and airline food trays to Dubai.

November 30, 2012. "The Bank Bust That Nearly Took Down Afghanistan". Time Magazine.

November 26, 2012. "Audit Says Kabul Bank Began as 'Ponzi Scheme'". The New York Times.

November 5, 2012. "Afghan corruption, and how the U.S. facilitates it". The Washington Post.

November 2, 2012. "U.S. Finds Graft by Favored Afghan Leader". The Wall Street Journal. Governor Shirzai of Nangahar Province protects insurgents and runs corrupt government.

October 25, 2012. "Warlords and criminals rife in a city weary of corruption". Irish Times.com.

October 23, 2012. "A Glimmer of Hope in a Race Against Corruption". The Kabul Cable.

October 19, 2012. "Legalize Bribe Giving". Wadsam - Afghan Business News.

October 11, 2012. "Report: Afghan contractors falsify culvert work". Air Force Times.

October 11, 2012. "SIGAR: Roadside anti-IED devices never installed, increased risk to troops". Foreign Policy.

September 19, 2012. "Afghanistan's Karzai targets governors in anti-graft fight". Reuters.com.

September 14, 2012. "Curbing Corruption in Afghanistan". By Inge Fryklund, Foreign Policy in Focus (FPIF).

August 2, 2012. "Afghan finance minister faces corruption investigation". Reuters.

August 2, 2012. "Integrity Training: Integral to Our Security and Theirs". National Review Online.

July 31, 2012. "U.S. Wages Sisyphean War Against Afghan Corruption". NPR.

July 6, 2012. "Corruption in Afghanistan still a problem as international donors meet". The Washington Post.

May 3, 2012. "Former Development Contractor Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison and $10,000 Fine", Market Watch.

April 4, 2012. "Kabul Bank Scandal: Hamid Karzai sets up special tribunal", The Guardian.

March 29, 2012. "Afghanistan: The Ghost Teachers of Ghor". Ground Report.

March 29, 2012. "British official expresses doubts about Afghan efforts to tackle corruption". The Washington Post.

March 27, 2012. "Billions in cash smuggled out of Afghanistan every year". CNN.

March 25, 2012. "Corruption eyed as motive in Kabul shooting". Air Force Times. Corruption in Afghan Air Force likely behind shootings of 8 Americans in Kabul.

March 22, 2012. "Allen: Corruption, safe havens block Afghan success". The Washington Times.

March 20, 2012. "Afghanistan corruption could see UK cut off security funds". The Guardian.

March 19, 2012. "Rampant Capital Flight Saw $4.6 Billion Leave Afghanistan in 2011". Economy Watch - Follow the Money.

March 19, 2012. "Cashing Out of Corruption". Technology Review.

March 13, 2012. "U.S. Special Forces Take Down Corrupt Afghan Officials, One At A Time". AOL Defense.

March 10, 2012. "US lawmaker wants Afghanistan's Karzai investigated". Associated Press Google Hosted News.

March 9, 2012. "Afghans Hinder Smuggling Inquiry, 2 U.S. Officials Say". The New York Times. Afghan Air Force accused of smuggling drugs.

March 8, 2012. "U.S. probes allegations Afghan Air Force involved in drug running". Reuters.

March 7, 2012. "Intractable Afghan Graft Hampering U.S. Strategy". By Matthew Rosenberg and Graham Bowley. The New York Times.

February 28, 2012. "Millions spent on no-show teachers in Afghanistan". The Gulf Today.

February 24, 2012. "Why we need to get out of Afghanistan - now". Chicago Tribune Opinion. A member of a forensic accounting team in Afghanistan details why the billions of money spent on Afghanistan is wasted.

February 14, 2012. "Afghan cash buyers target Palm Jumeirah". Arabian Business.com.

February 13, 2012. "Where family ties matter more than the law". Nelson Mail.

February 13, 2012. "Afghanistan's rich and their cash prepare for exodus". The National (UAE).

February 12, 2012. "Afghan President Meets Anti-Corruption Monitoring Committee". Voice of America.

February 10, 2012. "20 Most Corrupt Countries". Afghanistan is rated #4. The Daily Beast.

January 19, 2012. "Afghan, ISAF Officials Detail Corruption Fight". American Forces Press Service.

January 19, 2012. "DOD News Briefing with Janan Mosazai and Brig. Gen. H.R. McMaster". U.S. Department of Defense. BG McMaster presides over a press conference about corruption in Afghanistan. McMaster is the commander of the ISAF Task Force Shafafiyat (or Task Force Transparency).

January 19, 2012. "McMaster: Afghan anti-corruption drive is working". The Washington Post.

January 19, 2012. "Living in the Age of Corruption". Daily Outlook Afghanistan.

December 14, 2011. "Afghan Leadership Observes International Anti-Corruption Day". ISAF.

December 4, 2011. "Afghan youth say 'No' to Corruption". ISAF.

December 4, 2011. "Afghan anti-corruption watchdog threatens to quit". The Guardian.

October 11, 2011. "Afghanistan government corruption remains despite President Karzai's pledge to root out graft probes". Daily News.

September 15, 2011. "Corrupt Afghan trucking for U.S. military probed by Congress". The Washington Post.

September 7, 2011. "Lawmaker rips Afghan corruption on supplies". Army Times.

September 4, 2011. "Hospital Story Proves U.S. Can Squelch Afghan Corruption". Commentary Magazine.

August 24, 2011. "Billions spent on Afghan police but brutality, corruption prevail". Reuters.

August 16, 2011. "Afghan Anti-Corruption Plan Succeeds". Commentary Magazine.

August 15, 2011. "U.S. military awards contracts in Afghanistan to get money away from insurgents". The Washington Post.