My latest in PJ Media:
Over the last twenty years in Afghanistan, 2,443 Americans were killed and 20,666 were wounded, as $2.26 trillion were spent in the quixotic and foredoomed hope of transforming the graveyard of empires into a stable, Western-style republic. But if you were to go to Afghanistan today to try to see the effect of all this profligate spending (which I wouldn’t actually advise, under the circumstances), you’d have an easier time spotting how American money was put to use in the luxury homes of former Afghan government officials rather than, obviously, in actual successes in pushing back the Taliban.
Americans got a telling glimpse of their taxpayer dollars at work in Afghanistan when the Taliban on August 15 entered the residence of General Abdul Rashid Dostum in Mazar-i-Sharif. Dostum was a marshal in the disgraced and dissipated Afghan National Army, and served as first vice president of Afghanistan (which had two, because you can never have too much of a good thing) from 2016 until February 2020. He was a vociferous foe of the Taliban and a key U.S. ally when the first Taliban regime was toppled, although his relationship with Washington later soured (he was accused of war crimes) to the degree that, even while serving as first vice president in the American-backed Afghan government, he was barred in 2016 from entering the U.S.
Nevertheless, he remained an integral part of the government that the U.S. was propping up, and so when Taliban jihadis filmed themselves walking around his unbelievably opulent residence, it was hard not to think about all the rusting bridges, trestles scrawled with graffiti, and pothole-laden roads in America, and wonder if our taxpayer money might have been put to better use. Dostum’s place was what Caesar’s Palace would look like if it were remodeled by a multi-billionaire who thought the original was too modest and austere. Dostum’s place was what the Palace of Versailles would look like if it were remodeled by the Real Housewives of New Jersey.
How could this dedicated military officer and public servant possibly have amassed the funds to pay for his Disneyland dream palace? Why, you and I paid for it, along with all the other American taxpayers. And that’s by no means all that we bought. Dostum wasn’t the only Afghan official who got a luxury home. A report in the UK’s Daily Mail on Saturday noted that “one powerbroker at a Kabul bank used a web of fake firms to make fraudulent loans to ministers, officials and warlords, leading to losses equivalent to one-twelfth of the size of the country’s economy. The bank also spent £117 million [$164 million] on 35 luxury villas on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah island complex, which it used for entertaining.” One unnamed Afghan vice president (they had so many) grabbed $52 million in cash and took off for Dubai, where the parties were no doubt hearty.
There is more. Read the rest here.
gravenimage says
Afghanistan: $2.26 Trillion of Your Money Spent, Much Squandered on Lavish Palaces for Corrupt Officials
……………..
Such a waste–imagine the good that money could have done at home.
Even worse is the American and coalition troops and civilians who died for this.
Ray Jarman says
+1 G. I., I could not agree more.
Keys says
Does this blare incompetence ? Does this make you made ? Hell, yes !
“Equipment left for Taliban Aug. 23, 2021
Please read each item carefully and think about it
-2,000 Armored Vehicles Including Humvees and MRAP’s
-75,989 Total Vehicles: FMTV, M35, Ford Rangers, Ford F350, Ford Vans, Toyota Pickups, Armored Security Vehicles etc
-45 UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopters
-50 MD530G Scout Attack Choppers
-ScanEagle Military Drones
-30 Military Version Cessnas
-4 C-130’s
-29 Brazilian made A-29 Super Tocano Ground Attack Aircraft
208+ Aircraft Total
-At least 600,000+ Small arms M16, M249 SAWs, M24 Sniper Systems, 50 Calibers, 1,394 M203 Grenade Launchers, M134 Mini Gun, 20mm Gatling Guns and Ammunition
-61,000 M203 Grenade Rounds
-20,040 Grenades
-Howitzers
-Mortars +1,000’s of Rounds
-162,000 pieces of Encrypted Military Communications Gear
-16,000+ Night Vision Goggles
-Newest Technology Night Vision Scopes
-Thermal Scopes and Thermal Mono Googles
-10,000 2.75 inch Air to Ground Rockets
-Reconnaissance Equipment (ISR)
-Laser Aiming Units
-Explosives Ordnance C-4, Semtex, Detonators, Shaped Charges, Thermite, Incendiaries, AP/API/APIT
-2,520 Bombs
-Administration Encrypted Cell Phones and Laptops all operational
-Pallets with Millions of Dollars in US Currency
-Millions of Rounds of Ammunition including but not limited to 20,150,600 rounds of 7.62mm, 9,000,000 rounds of 50.caliber
-Large Stockpile of Plate Carriers and Body Armor
-US Military HIIDE, for Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment Biometrics
-Lots of Heavy Equipment Including Bull Dozers, Backhoes, Dump Trucks, Excavators
*******************
gravenimage says
Agreed, Ray and Keys. Keys, thanks for that grim list.
Wellington says
I can understand how Obama sleeps at night because he is complicit in the destruction of traditional America—in 2008 in his Presidential campaign Obama stated that “we” are on the verge of a “fundamental transformation of America.”
I knew this was rot and I certainly didn’t want a “fundamental transformation” of America. “All” I wanted, and for the West at large, the greatest civilization in all of history, was a continual “gradual transformation” to, a la James Madison, a “more perfect society.” To Hell with the “fundamental transformation” shit. Anyone wanting a fundamental transformation of Western Civilization, led presently by America, is a fool or worse (for the record, I think of Obamas as “worse”).
But here is what I don’t understand. How does Bush 43 sleep at night? He should certainly know better by now that he screwed up in Afghanistan (Iraq too—not because he took out a psychopath like Saddam Hussein, which I still think he had to, but because he foolishly thought “moms and pops” in Baghdad wanted the same for themselves and their children as did “moms and pops” in Des Moines).
But Bush 43 clearly still doesn’t know this and the fact that he has conveyed to all that in the 2020 election he did not vote for Donald Trump but Condoleezza Rice, yet another well educated fool who when asked about Sunni/Shiite animosity in Iraq, stated, “Well they’re just going to have to get over that,” serves as ipso facto evidence for me how Bush 43 (and really all the Bushes, a rich but essentially parasitic, foolish and interminably mediocre family) is never going to understand how very wrong he was about so very much, his assessment of Islam coming in “first place” here.
Meanwhile, trillions have been wasted. Many American soldiers are dead, and many thousands of other American soldiers are missing body parts. Ah, if only Bush 43 had properly understood Islam right up front. But he didn’t. He still doesn’t. Shame on him forever. If this sounds too harsh, I don’t care.
Infidel says
W/ all that corruption even w/ US occupation, it’s no wonder that the Taliban had no issues seizing province after province until Kabul itself fell to them
Honestly, every US official who participated in this scam – starting w/ Bush and Obama and on down – ought to have all their assets seized towards a fund to recompense the US treasury of this $2.26T so that it starts to chip away at the deficit. Of course, that ‘human infrastructure bill’ needs to die in the senate as well
Michael Copeland says
European leaders also are culpably ignorant of the nature of Islam.
VRWC member77 says
Robert has pointed this out many times. Perhaps the biggest and most ignorant mistake Bush made was when he stood up with Mr. muslim brotherhood thug Nihad Awad standing in the background and uttered the words “Islam is a religion of peace.”
James Lincoln says
Wellington,
A completely correct analysis of Bush 43.
And not too harsh…
Raja says
Wellington,
Another telling summary of American misadventure from your end. American dream is about meritocracy, but I wonder what was the merit in moving into “God-forsaken” Afghanistan. At the crux is the absence of clear thinking. It only proves that all the strategies are useless without a cohesive thinking.
somehistory says
Glenn Beck is in the ME. He had several people on his program tonight…he always has a special program on Wednesday nights…speaking with him about what is happening in afghanistan.
One thing he learned was that, contrary to the reports we have all read/heard, the afghans who were in the army stationed in different cities/villages/towns, were abandoned by their officers who had made back room deals with the taliban. Basically, the “keys” to the city were given to the taliban, who rode in to one town on motorcycles after the top guys had left, and the regular army guys had to run, were told by the officers to run, leaving their military equipment behind.
Another thing, Beck and David Barton, along with other groups…Mighty Oaks (if I’m recalling right) is one such group…were flying planes in and getting people out. However, the countries, 3 he couldn’t name on air, were told by the U.S. state dept that they couldn’t fly these people into other countries, that they wouldn’t agree to “vouch” for them. So, when they had as many as they could take, they had to refuse to take more.
Macedonia agreed to take some of the people Glenn and the others got on planes, but the state dept called the ambassador there and said, “No,” to that country taking some.
He also said a couple of planes were actually loaded and in the air, and the state dept contacted them and ordered them to return to the airport in afghanistan.
At the end, Beck had a former special ops guy who works with him on his shows, and this man was explaining that the people who were at the gates, were told by the taliban to go down this other road and there, they were told to go into a hotel. This man believes they will be hostages there. Several dozen were children.
According to the reports they were getting while on the show, the “gates” are now closed. No one else is being allowed to go through. Even those holding up American passports. And the transport planes are being refueled, so Beck and his guest said that means they aren’t waiting for the end of the month.
One insane thing: people on foot at the gate, waiting, were sent texts (those who are American) and the texts told them to leave the gate and come back in their cars.
All of this was very hard to listen to.
gravenimage says
Very disturbing.
Johnny B says
What a GIANT waste of life and money and for what??? Now China’s moving in to exploit the natural resources necessary for renewable energy, batteries etc. in cooperation with the Taliban. And you wonder why we’ve become the laughing stock of the world. Just take a look at the state of the American president, yet people don’t see it or maybe they just don’t want to???
Yogi says
Useless freaking “ war” , US. Started and now the Western countries in Europe ( Germany) have big problem , like in Europe it’s not enough this illegal parasites, it’s just awful..
OLD GUY says
I’am sure getting tired of supporting the foreign aid programs that our government leaders squander around the world. This needs to stop. Our tax dollars should be spent on America not foreign crooks. If the American people want to help those overseas let them do it through charities not our politicians that are using it as bribes.