Wasteful spending on Afghanistan’s security has continued to plague the U.S. government, with the latest revelation of nearly $7 million spent to maintain police vehicles that either were destroyed or inoperable.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) conducted an audit of a $350 million contract awarded to the Dubai-based firm Automotive Management Services (A-M-S). SIGAR uncovered $6.8 million was reportedly spent performing maintenance on 7,324 Afghan police vehicles that were not in service.

SIGAR did not report finding evidence of willful misreporting, “a common occurrence in Afghanistan, which is among the world’s most corrupt countries,” wrote Ernesto Londoño in The Washington Post.

“The taxpayers and the success of our mission are at risk when contracts such as this are executed without proper planning and oversight,” SIGAR chief John F. Sopko said in a statement.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

U.S. Paid To Maintain Inoperable Afghan Police Vehicles, Audit Finds (by Ernesto Londoño, Washington Post)

Afghan Police Vehicle Maintenance Contract:  Actions Needed To Prevent Millions Of Dollars From Being Wasted (Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction) (pdf)

U.S. Can’t Account for $200 Million in NATO Gas Receipts for Afghan Army Fuel (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

U.S. Army-Led NATO Command Shredded 4 Years of Records of Afghan Army Fuel Purchases (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)