Taxpayers Paying Millions To “Ghost Soldiers” In Afghanistan Who Are Not Actually Serving

On Friday, the Pentagon watchdog group for Afghanistan reconstruction released information revealing that a possible $300 million dollars of taxpayer money is being dolled out to pay Afghan soldiers and police who may not actually be serving. A letter asking questions regarding “ghost” soldiers that was sent in August from the inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, John Sopko, to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter was made public just before the weekend. The letter asks Carter for information “regarding your department’s efforts to ensure accuracy across the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) personnel accountability systems.”

“My office has raised concerns in the past that the U.S. government has been relying on inaccurate data when determining how much it will spend on ANDSF salaries,” Sopko said. “In January 2015 we reported that more than $300 million in annual, U.S.-funded salary payments to the Afghan National Police were based on only partially verified or reconciled data, and that there was no assurance that personnel and payroll data were accurate.”

“As stated in our July 2016 quarterly report, U.S. Forces Afghanistan reported that in the quarter ending June 2016 ‘ANDSF assigned force strength was 319,595 (not including civilians)’ However, the Associated Press previously reported an Afghan official as indicating that ‘the best internal estimate put the number around 120,000, less than a third of what is needed to secure the country.'” - Read More

Taxpayers Paying Millions To “Ghost Soldiers” In Afghanistan Wh