Afghanistan can't handle direct aid, U.S. watchdog says

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/12/us-usa-afghanistan-aid-idUSBRE91B1N020130212

Afghanistan can't handle direct aid, U.S. watchdog says
By Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON | Tue Feb 12, 2013 6:34pm EST

(Reuters) - Afghanistan's government does not appear able to manage the large amounts of direct aid that the United States and other countries have pledged, the U.S. watchdog monitoring funds spent on Afghan reconstruction said.

John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction, raised a red flag over U.S. plans to give Kabul billions of dollars more in direct aid instead of providing assistance through contractors and non-governmental organizations operating on behalf of the American government.

"The Afghan government does not appear to have the capacity to manage the amount of funding envisioned in the international community's pledges of direct assistance," Sopko told a House committee in testimony prepared for a Wednesday House of Representatives hearing.

He said oversight provisions, such as doling out funds incrementally instead of in large lump sums, should be built into direct aid programs "to protect the American taxpayer."



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