WASHINGTON: The United States spent approximately $137.3 billion on Afghanistan’s reconstruction over two decades, according to the final report released by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) covering the 20-year war and rebuilding efforts.
The report stated that between 2002 and 2021, the US allocated $144.7 billion for Afghanistan’s reconstruction, of which $137.3 billion was actually spent. These reconstruction expenditures exceeded the cost of the post-World War II Marshall Plan for Europe.
According to the report, corruption within successive Afghan governments proved to be the biggest obstacle to effective reconstruction. In addition to reconstruction spending, the US spent an extra $763 billion on military operations in Afghanistan.
Despite spending nearly $90 billion on Afghan security forces, they remained dependent on foreign troops and collapsed rapidly following the US withdrawal. The report revealed the presence of thousands of “ghost employees” within Afghan security institutions, widespread fuel theft, and mismanagement of resources.
Read more: US Will Run Venezuela Until Power Transfer: Trump
The US purchased around 147,000 vehicles, thousands of military equipment items, supplied 427,300 weapons, and provided 162 aircraft to Afghan forces. After withdrawal, military equipment worth $7.1 billion was left behind in Afghanistan.
The report also noted that the World Bank and Asian Development Bank pledged $12.16 billion for Afghanistan. Despite spending $7.3 billion on counter-narcotics programs, results remained ineffective, while stabilization programs costing $4.7 billion also produced disappointing outcomes.
During the war, more than 2,450 US soldiers were killed and over 20,700 were injured. Following the withdrawal, $14.2 billion was allocated for relocating Afghan refugees to the United States.
It further revealed that after the fall of Kabul, the US provided $3.83 billion in aid to the Taliban-led government over four years, including $120 million in a single quarter in March 2025. International donors also contributed $8.1 billion to UN-run projects after the US exit, while six projects worth $1.5 billion remain active under the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund. The Taliban government reportedly continued collecting taxes and levies on international aid.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.