U.S. Spent $43 Million on Afghanistan Gas Station: Watchdog Report

Nearly $43 million of U.S. taxpayers' money was spent on building a gas station in Afghanistan — 140 times more than it should have cost, according to a government watchdog.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) also said that one of the most "troubling" issues is how the Department of Defense was unable or unwilling to explain why the "ill-conceived" project was so expensive.

"It's an outrageous waste of money that raises suspicions that there is something more there than just stupidity," John Sopko, the special inspector general, told NBC News. "There may be fraud. There may be corruption. But I cannot currently find out more about this because of the lack of cooperation."

He called the cost "indicative of a real serious mismanagement" but said perhaps the "more serious" issue was how the Department of Defense had failed to offer documentation or records on the project.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-spent-43-million-afghanistan-gas-station-sigar-report-n454036