US taxpayers funding the insurgency in Afghanistan
The Christian Science Monitor reports that building projects in Afghanistan, designed to prop up the government there after our withdrawal in 2014 and funded by the US taxpayers, the few of us who are left, are seemingly stuffing money in the pockets of the Taliban, the Haqqani Network and al Qaeda;
It turned out that while Centcom head Gen. James N. Mattis barred the 20 entities from doing business with the US military since they were, in his determination, “actively supporting an insurgency,” other branches of the sprawling US spending effort in Afghanistan weren’t being informed of his decisions. This includes, most importantly, USAID and the State Department. [Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR)] thought it best for the rest of the US Afghanistan effort to be brought into the loop.
[…]
A continuing problem is the Army’s refusal to act on SIGAR’s recommendations to suspend or debar individuals who are supporters of the insurgency, including the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, and al-Qaeda. The Army suspension and debarment official has taken the position that suspension or debarment of such individuals and entities would be a violation of their due process rights if based on classified information or if based on findings by the Department of Commerce which placed them on the Entities List. SIGAR has referred 43 such cases to the Army, and all have been rejected, despite detailed supporting information demonstrating that these individuals and entities are providing material support to the insurgency in Afghanistan. In other words, they may be enemies of the United States, but that is not enough to keep them from getting government contracts.
Maybe we can offer them upgraded weapons systems and some training to go along with the new equipment. Historians are going to have a field day when they finally get around to writing about US failures in this war.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Big Army, Terror War
We should just cut a check from the U.S. Treasury and mail it directly to the Taliban; no need for all this middle-man contracting sock-puppetry and kabuki dance /…
D’OH! (forehead palmslap)
Considering that it’s the US Army that’s helping to authorize the channeling of taxpayer funds to these terrorist groups — are the anti-American anti-war hippies now for it, or against it??
The illogical thinking shown here is more twisted then a quandry pretzel.
the highest form of absurdist comedy.
“Smart Diplomacy” or just more bureaucratic incompetence?
SMART POWER!!!!!eleventy!!!!!!!
This is exactly what happens when you practice lawfare instead of warfare.
This is my shocked face. Really.
And of course, the only GO who had the brains and the balls to call it what it was ends up getting the shaft and forced out.
I weep for my nation.
How many officers are involved at the office of suspension and debarment etc? There can’t be that many… and at minimum their OERs need to severely impacted. Give it to ’em in language they understand. (Which is better than the initial “try ’em for treason” reaction.)
Wait, how can it be “a violation of their due process rights” if they aren’t American citizens? And if they by some chance are, why aren’t they up on aiding and abetting the enemy charges?
Good God, the stupidity in our government knows no end.
Another thought… American citizens have to go all the way to the Supreme Court to get their due process rights against the EPA (no, my property isn’t a wetland) and the FDA (no, you can’t take most of my raisin crop without compensation) but terrorists “rights” are protected?