Washington (CNN)The Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development do not provide government oversight with information about the collapse of the Afghan government. According to a letter from the Watchdog director, during last year'sUS withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Information was requested by multiple parliamentary audits, said John Sopco, director of the Afghanistan Special Inspector General for Reconstruction (SIGAR), on Wednesday with Secretary of State Tony Brinken and USAID administration. Said in a letter to Samantha Power.
These agencies have typically provided assistance to observers, but Sopko said in a letter reviewed by CNN that "institutional staff are now in a position of planned obstruction. It seems that you are doing it. "
He described development as "especially annoying" because the department is legally required to share information with his office. He also quoted President Biden saying to his administration that "the guard dog is back."
Instead, Sopko stated that there were multiple requests for rejected information. He called the situation "unprecedented."
He explained that information was needed for the specific audit that Congress asked them to perform.
"This information and support prohibits, among other things, (1) the collapse of US-backed governments in Afghanistan, (2) compliance with state and USAID laws, and the transfer of funds to the Taliban. Regulation, and (3) an ongoing humanitarian and development program to support the people of Afghanistan, ”Sopco wrote.
A State Department spokesperson sent a letter from the state and USAID to the SIGAR Inspector General's Office in April, "How some of SIGAR's requests for information relate to statutory jurisdiction." I shared a letter with CNN citing concerns about. A spokeswoman added.
Top US Department of State and USAID lawyers write that activities, including humanitarian and development assistance, are outside the scope of SIGAR's authority and require clarification of the "scope" of SIGAR's investigation. increase.
This letter was an effort to "help resolve these concerns, including subtle technical details, and best comply with all monitoring agencies."
A spokesperson added, "The state and USAID are committed to supporting SIGAR's key auditing and oversight roles."
The interim report, devised by the Trump administration in 2020, describes the U.S. withdrawal decision implemented by the Biden administration in 2021 as the "single most important" behind the collapse of Afghanistan's defense. I called it "factor". Security forces.
The report of the President of Afghanistan, who also cast serious criticism on the decision of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, is one of the deepest investigations to date because of the phenomenal collapse of the Afghan government last summer. It was one. The Taliban rapidly dominated Afghanistan during the complete withdrawal of the United States after 20 years of war.
At the beginning of Wednesday, State Department spokesman Ned Price was asked about the letter, citing a recent SIGAR report compiled without State Department opinion, "not reflecting the State Department's consensus view." Said. Or of the US government. "Many parts of the U.S. government, including the State Department, have their own insights into Afghanistan's developments last year that weren't mentioned in the report," he added, and agreed with many aspects of the report. I haven't. "
