The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) will cease operations on Jan. 31, ending nearly 17 years of oversight of American spending on Afghanistan.
In a statement posted on X, SIGAR thanked government agencies, partners and individuals who followed, used or supported its independent oversight work during its mandate.
SIGAR was established in 2008 under the US National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law on Jan. 28 of that year, to monitor how billions of dollars in US funds were spent on Afghanistan’s reconstruction.
The office was tasked with auditing and investigating whether US assistance for security, education, health care and infrastructure projects was used effectively, and with uncovering corruption, waste, fraud and abuse.
Over its 17 years of operation, SIGAR produced hundreds of audits and investigative reports that documented failed projects, so-called “ghost” soldiers and structural weaknesses in the use of aid funds. Its findings made it a key source of accountability for the US Congress and the American public on the costs of the war and reconstruction effort.
In its final reports, SIGAR said the 20-year US intervention in Afghanistan was marked by widespread corruption, the misuse of billions of dollars and the rapid collapse of the former Afghan government, with a significant portion of the $148 billion in US reconstruction aid either wasted, misused or ultimately benefiting the Taliban.
Political and economic analysts warn that the closure of SIGAR could weaken transparency and oversight at a time when Afghanistan remains under Taliban rule and international engagement and aid flows continue to be closely scrutinised.
