The Office of the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which investigated corruption and financial waste linked to the United States’ two-decade presence in Afghanistan, has announced that it will shut down by the end of this month.
The Washington Times reported on Wednesday night, January 28, that SIGAR, established by the U.S. Congress in 2008, reviewed more than $148 billion spent on Afghanistan reconstruction projects.
In its final report released in December 2025, the watchdog said the United States spent more money attempting to build a democratic Afghanistan than it did rebuilding European countries after World War II under the Marshall Plan.
According to SIGAR, approximately $7.1 billion worth of U.S.-funded military equipment and weapons were left behind in Afghanistan during the American withdrawal in 2021 and subsequently fell into the hands of the Taliban.
The report also states that $24 billion invested in civilian and military infrastructure, funded by U.S. taxpayers, has been lost.
Meanwhile, the SIGAR website has gone offline, and its archived version is being preserved in the “Cyber Cemetery” at the University of North Texas.
