US watchdog warned of Afghan air force collapse
KABUL, Afghanistan – Months before President Joe Biden announced the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan last year, Washington’s watchdog warned that the Afghan air force would collapse without critical American aid, training and maintenance. The report was declassified Tuesday.
The report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko, submitted to the Department of Defense in January 2021, underscores that American authorities had been alerted that Afghanistan’s air force did not have the capabilities to survive after a U.S. withdrawal. In particular, the report points to U.S. failure to train Afghan support staff, leaving the air force unable to maintain its aircraft without American contractors.
U.S. air support to government forces was key in the 20-year-war against Taliban insurgents. Its removal, along with the inability of the Afghan air force to fill the void, was a factor that contributed to the Taliban’s sweeping victory as the Americans withdrew.
The inspector general’s office said Monday that it is rare for SIGAR reports to be classified but when they are, a declassified version is issued by the Pentagon in under two months.
SIGAR has tracked and documented Washington’s spending and progress in Afghanistan since the office was established in 2008. It has released successive reports that documented corruption, Afghan and U.S. leadership failings and weaknesses within the Afghan army, offering recommendations on where to improve.
Since the 2001 U.S-led invasion that ousted the Taliban and during the long war that ensued, Washington spent more than $145 billion on reconstruction in Afghanistan and nearly $1 trillion on its military engagement. Billions went to building up the Afghan military forces.
Biden announced in April that the last 2,500 to 3,500 U.S. troops would leave along with NATO’s 7,500 troops, following a deal reached with the Taliban by the Trump administration. The announcement started a rapid collapse of the Afghan defense forces.