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Rizwan Tabassum / AFP - Getty Images, file
Drivers stand on top of a fuel tanker used to transport fuel to NATO forces in Afghanistan in the Pakistani port city of Karachi on May 23.
WASHINGTON -- Investigators are probing reports of record-shredding by officials in the U.S.-led NATO command that trains the Afghan army after learning that records of fuel purchases for the Afghans totaling nearly $475 million are gone.
The training command has also not been tracking whether the fuel it delivers to the Afghan army is actually used or stored, leaving officials unable to determine whether any of it was stolen, said an interim report by the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction, or SIGAR.
John Sopko, appointed recently by President Barack Obama to the special inspector general's job, told Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in a letter on Monday that SIGAR was investigating the reported shredding by officials of the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, or CSTC-A.
Investigating waste, fraud and abuse
Sopko's office conducts criminal as well as civil investigations of waste, fraud and abuse relating to U.S.-funded reconstruction projects in Afghanistan. SIGAR was created in 2008.
During an audit of spending on fuel for the Afghan army, the CSTC-A command "informed us that its officials shredded all ANA (Afghan National Army) POL (petroleum, oil and lubricants) financial records related to payments totaling nearly $475 million from October 2006 to February 2011," Sopko wrote in a letter obtained by Reuters.
In addition, the training command could not provide over half the documents the inspector general's office requested for its audit covering March 2011 to March 2012, Sopko told Panetta.
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"The destruction of records and the unexplained failure to provide other records violate DOD (Department of Defense) and Department of the Army policies," Sopko said. He said a 2010 memo from the U.S. Army Central Command specifically instructed financial managers not to destroy documents related to the war.
"This matter has been referred to SIGAR investigations, and we would appreciate the continued cooperation of CSTC-A in our official investigation of the destruction of these records," Sopko said.
In a written response to Sopko's office, the training command noted steps it had taken to verify fuel purchases and deliveries, but did not comment on the reported document shredding.
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Sopko's office has done an interim report and plans to issue a fuller report on the fuel spending later this year.
Developing controls
The CSTC-A is a multinational command that works with the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan to train and equip the Afghan security forces. The commanding general is U.S. Lt. Gen. Daniel Bolger, who was copied in on Sopko's letter to Panetta.
The training command pays for fuel needed to power the Afghan army's vehicles, generators and power plants. But it is preparing to hand over responsibility for logistics, including fuel, to the Afghan army on Jan. 1.
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Foreign forces are due to hand off security to Afghan forces by the end of 2014.
The United States, with help from international donors, will continue to pay for the Afghan army's fuel, however, and CSTC-A has proposed to increase spending on the Afghan army's fuel to $555 million a year starting in fiscal 2014, SIGAR said in its interim report. In the current fiscal year, about $480 million was spent, the report said.
Before handing over logistics responsibility to the Afghans and before committing to spend more money on fuel, the training command must develop better controls, the report said.
Hoshang Hashimi / AP
More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.
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Leave a Comment:
The republicans for decades talk about starving the beast where the beast is government.
How about starving the beast known as the Department of Defense instead?
With this kind of waste and no-doubt theft people should be hung.
If we starved the DOD for funds maybe they would really concentrate on homeland defense instead of interjecting ourselves and our fine soldiers into every 3rd world hell hole.
no surprise
Being it happened on obama's watch and the buck stops with him it shows a lack of leadership from the commander in chief.
7.62, I hav ebeen paying special attention to your posts, and in every one, no matter the subject, you find a way to slam or blame Obama. Why don't you exit your trailer, take the long rifle and finish your hate.....
LMAO....such a loser - @7.62x39mm
Abu Ghraib - what say you now simpleton???
This is total BS and whoever is in charge of that circus needs to be brought to justice.
And this needs to be investigated. It wouldn't surprise me if they were not reselling the same truck-load of fuel over and over again.
The United States, with help from international donors, will continue to pay for the Afghan army's fuel, however, and CSTC-A has proposed to increase spending on the Afghan army's fuel to $555 million a year starting in fiscal 2014, SIGAR said in its interim report. In the current fiscal year, about $480 million was spent, the report said.
Exactly, I do not get what happened to "fiscally conservative Republicans"!! How can they look in the mirror and talk about smaller government and cutting spending when they put in place a privatized system for war that increases the cost by 30%. You could literally cut 30% out of the defence budget if you got rid of the waste and war profiteering allowed by outsourcing, no bids, and no over site. Romney is already beating the drums for Israel to start up with Iran and says the proposed defence cuts are a "mistake".
Are we sure at maybe Halluburton didn't misplace it so they could charge a premium surcharge due to low fuel supplies ,Reading reports of what they been caught scamming us for numbers in the billions.
seem
Count me in with you on this one !!!!
Halluburton was my first thought also.
And any of this is news??????????
Cheney/Haliburton ??????? And how many hundreds of millions were missing in that fiasco ?.....Remember all of the investigations about missing money (hundreds of millions), that never went anywhere.......Gotta love those "fiscally responsible Republicans".
Would just love to see that Cheney paper trail.......God only knows how many hundreds of millions he got in his "shadow" accounts......
I recall that fiasco and I think it was nearly the same exact dollar amount for undelivered fuel, but Halliburton was behind that. I believe that was the event prompting Bush to issue an executive order exempting Halliburton from answering any demands for information from all government offices as well as the courts because of "national security" reasons. That is why Halliburton refuses to disclose the components of their fracking fluids today.
Business as usual - an open pipeline to the taxpayers wallet.
Of course it was stolen and sold on the black market. The oil companies make money, the defense contractors make money, the profiteers make money, the Afghanistanians save money by buying cheap fuel, China makes money loaning us the money to pay for the fuel and we just stack it on top of our other debt. Then all the generals get a medal and promotion for performing so well. Life doesn't get any better!
And gas prices will spike this week by 35 cents on the excuse of missing fuel.
Yup...just like that it up and vanished...can you believe that...poof gone...and no one will ever be held accountable for it...the ones who investigate this will be the same ones that lost it in the first place...I'm sensing a pattern here. How the hell do these things just up and vanish? Is the really any point in even asking the question? Bend over Americans...here we go again.
7.62x39mm
Being it happened on obama's watch and the buck stops with him it shows a lack of leadership from the commander in chief.
Correct me if I'm wrong, didn't Obama take the office on January 20, 2009? You are right. it was DISCOVERED on Obamas watch, but didn't start on Obamas watch. It is now being investigated on Obamas watc.h
During an audit of spending on fuel for the Afghan army, the CSTC-A command "informed us that its officials shredded all ANA (Afghan National Army) POL (petroleum, oil and lubricants) financial records related to payments totaling nearly $475 million from October 2006 to February 2011," Sopko wrote in a letter obtained by Reuters.
I wish NATO would pay for my fuel, it won't be anywhere near $475 million. I could save them money.
Wow, almost 1/2 a billion gone under Obama's watch no BIG MEDIA coverage here....
Should we blame Bush>???? Yep...
Just more Waste Fraud and Abuse.. Lets See at 500 Million that would put a $ 75,000 Solar Cell System on
6,666 homes and eliminate thousands of gallons of fuel or tons of coal.... OH makes too much sense.
Fiacal Waste... Why are we wasting MONEY in another country, that $$ could have put US to work.
Sheep, just plain Sheep Us will elect Obama-Nation again.. You Watch.
You are a moron - read the timeline - Obama UNCOVERED the issue.
And, IMO, Cheyney CAUSED it....
He probably forgot all about the 58 Billion that went missing in Iraq and was never found. Jack up the military budget for who. They can't keep track of what they have now and rather than fix that the Republicans think we should just send more.
Does this SURPRISE anyone. We are now fighting an ELEVEN YEAR OLD war, which really is not a war because the supposed enemy is a rag tag guerilla outfit that hides in neighboring countries and within villages and towns all over Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, and who knows where else. The Afgahn governemnt has no respect of most of its people, not to mention totally corrupt, with a lot of US dollars making those connected to Karzai very rich. The take the money, the best houses, the best of everything. The war lords control most of the rest of the country. Some are al Quida linked, some are Taliban linked, some are not, they fight amongst themselves for power and control. The Afghan army is not big enough or well trained enough to take on these groups. Most of the country do not even want to fight them. Our drones in Pakistan just create another generation who hate America, even if we do take out a radical Imam once in a while. Our best troops are tired and overworked. Billions of US tax dollars. Eleven years later. Does anybody think it is time to get out. Completley. No more troops. No more big money to corrupt government officials. Help them IF they want to help themselves. Otherwise, bye.
I agree. but take it one step further. Starve ALL Government spending until someone can keep tabs on where all the money is going. Fraud, waste and theft. It is no wonder that this country is broke and in debt to the tune of 16 TRILLION DOLLARS.
What a surprise... war profiteering continues as we piss away money on stupid wars that lead nowhere.
George Bush & pshyco Dick Cheney started BOTH the Iraq war & the Afghan war. Nothing like FACTS to get in the way of anti Obama rants.
Yes, the war started with Bush but the apparent fraud has continued through 2011 under Obama as well.
Both parties are whores of the military industrial complex.
None of the people drinking Obama-Kool-Aid have figured out that he is Corrupt and useless.
Might be bought and owned by Chicago Business, Traders.... Etc.............
AM I BETTER TODAY ?? Hell NO........ Why don't I get a ObamaCare Handout???? Cause I'm working my stupid a$$ off... Paying for Obama to give my hard earned taxes to some lazy a$$...
Fuel up from Jan 20, 2008 at $ 1.62 Gall to $3.91, Medical Insurance up %150%, Taxes Up, Hidden Taxes up... Employment Insurance out of the roof... Am I better - Hell NO..
You vote for the Lyer and Fraud., Yes He played the Race Card in 2008 and he Ain't BLACK...
Should have known from the first lye.... But lots of stupid, white liberal women vote for him,
Rather have the Mormon then the Moron in office... TOO MANY LAWYERS IN OFFICE, Clintons and Obamas..
RE: Fuel up from Jan 20, 2008 at $ 1.62 Gall to $3.91, Medical Insurance up %150%, Taxes Up, Hidden Taxes up... Employment Insurance out of the roof... Am I better - Hell NO..
Gas prices up? (Record gas prices actually occured during June/July 2008 at $4.12/gal) Medical Insurance up 150% (I don't know about your particular scenario, but we employee around 150 and our insurance rates have remained relatively flat despite several major claims the past couple years). I would like to know what particular taxes have gone up????? What "Employment Insurance" are you taking about? Are your referring to Unemployment Insurance?
It also appears that you and Clint Eastwood are pulling your info from the same erroneous database. Romney is a lawyer also. Oops, I guess that blew up in your face.
It seems you need to include a few more facts if you want to substantiate your claims.
And this is news how? America has some of the finest and best trained crooks in the world. Our training of the new up and coming wannabe crooks in the rest of the world is second to none and is the most extensive training available to date. What's $475 million when our own corporations steal billions from the people every day.
475 more millionaire Afghans.
I knew Obama would come up with an explanation for why a record setting 46.37 million Americans are receiving food stamps.
Stay the course Obama claims, the middle class is doing fine.
Please raise my taxes so I can help pay for this! We must move swiftly! It is inexcusable to have this money go missing without generating more funds to replace it. My 401(k) has slipped enormously during our eleven years helping these brave people but I will send what is remaining so the Afgans can live the American dream too! I must admit I love their blankets and hounds.
Not to worry about Obama raising your taxes. He'll just borrow the money from China and combine it with the other $5.9 trillion he's added to the National debt.
Obama want us to stay the course. Of course he's not serious, is he?
400,000 poor americans paying their taxes
More incompetence and thievery from the Obama administration. Check Obama's campaign fund for matching contributions.
Um, CTSC was started in 2006. The Special Inspector General who discovered and disclosed that records had been destroyed was recently appointed by Obama. Why would Obama appoint an inspector to find problems, then disclose said problems, if he was trying to cover things up.
Your logic definitely does not follow. Try again.
More Demoncrap accounting practices!
Freedom sure isn't free in this context. But when you are manipulating language to convince a population to believe something, what's a few measly bucks. I just wish it was in my pocket. Isn't stealing an accepted way to get on top of the pack today?
This is sick. Why don't we just dig a huge hole in Afghanistan and dump every last American Dollar in it. We won't change anything.
Obama had nothing to do with this. He's got my vote.
We would be better off wasting the money on cocaine and getting high. Oh and let me guess no one will go to jail for this or lose their job.