John Sopko, the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), has recommended that the agency cease its oversight operations by September 30, 2025.
In a letter to Congress accompanying SIGAR’s annual budget submission to the Office of Management and Budget, Sopko cited the geopolitical shifts following the Taliban’s return to power as the basis for his recommendation.
“My recommendation to close the agency reflects the geopolitical realities of the Taliban takeover and the concomitant reduction in U.S. assistance to Afghanistan,” Sopko wrote.
Since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, the funds allocated for reconstruction efforts have sharply decreased. According to Sopko, the amount of appropriated funds in the reconstruction pipeline has dropped by 82 percent, from $6.68 billion as of June 30, 2021, to approximately $1.21 billion projected by September 30, 2024.
Sopko noted that any cessation of SIGAR’s activities would require Congressional approval. “SIGAR cannot and will not cease operations without authorization from Congress to do so,” he stated.
The Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) was established by the United States Congress through the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.
