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FNC national security analyst K.T. McFarland on the government’s wasteful spending in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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As always the law congress tries to cut spending a new report tonight says.
The US government has lost tens of billions of dollars to waste and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The commission on -- on contract and says more than thirty billion dollars has been wasted over the last decade.
The -- -- oversight of contractors.
Are the most egregious and outrageous examples include more than eleven billion dollars for Afghan security that still.
Isn't ready to stand on its own who knows when that'll be 300 million dollars on a on a -- power plant that the Afghans can't maintain.
Maintain in and -- at a forty million dollars.
On a prison at the Iraqis -- even want the first place.
For more we're joined by KT McFarland who -- national security posts under presidents Nixon Ford and Reagan.
And as a flocks national security analyst all right PT this doesn't surprise me in the slightest.
Bit billions of dollars in waste.
And I think that thirty billion dollars this are real -- -- they really if you spend a trillion dollars in Afghanistan and Iraq let's assume.
5% even 10% -- -- abuse in our your -- and click and up to a hundred about when I was in Afghanistan I've been there several times and -- I saw that -- power plant.
At you know what was it analyze at the T which is bigger than the power plants in New Jersey you know what is it lighting up I mean I was on -- road in bombing on province -- called the Laura Bush highways about two miles long.
It doesn't know where it connects that town to the market when I was there it's hard -- highway passion which we had on the west side of Manhattan.
Yeah but.
-- out of a good -- what do you attribute the wasted because I -- I you can look at it and say that two wars going on in wars are not pretty they're not clean there's a lot of waste going on what you -- trying to to the end of the war.
But you're telling me it that's not quite hit -- than what is.
A bunch of things out of -- September 11 we had some real problems with intelligence and so we ramp up very quickly we needed capabilities and take a long time to clear somebody.
And to get them through the bureaucratic process so we hire retired people.
And we didn't what we didn't do was higher people to supervise the retired people OK and then when we went into Iraq and Afghanistan we needed local hires.
People who would help us with security.
But again that's a part of the world where count they take their little -- she should they take their little percentages which for us is corruption -- fraud and abuse -- standard operating procedure.
All this was not a very good month and Afghanistan as a matter fact it was the deadliest month in the ten year war that it's hard to believe.
Are they anywhere near being ready to take over the -- themselves as we can get out of Afghanistan once and for all I mean I got I think the answer is no one.
It's yeah it's Afghanistan as a three legged stool one leg is the military -- that we actually been pretty successful in turning that around under Petraeus.
But it doesn't sustain itself because the other two legs of the stool are the Afghan government corrupt incompetent ten years later not going to change.
And the third leg of the stool -- Pakistan in a safe havens.
Where the Taliban regenerate so I think that the minute we leave.
You're going to see a civil war and Afghans.
Soul what's the end game for us to talk about the billions of dollars in ways that we've already He didn't have wasted not to spend the but you know appropriately but wasted.
There if we leave.
It's just gonna fall back to low where it has been it over the last two decades.
Yeah I I think that it's very likely -- senior civil war because -- see.
Every Karzai's authority trying to position himself the Taliban -- the sap is trying to position themselves.
The tribes of northern tried to try to position themselves.
For what happens really I was in Afghanistan for months ago and saw some of the aides to Karzai and I said what you know we're getting -- -- guys what do you think.
Are now there's gonna we're gonna be you're gonna be in our friends and allies in the security agreement and -- 2020.
But I don't think so.
And I can see.
He appreciated -- it will I -- that we don't -- -- -- way.
All I know I want him one day you're gonna come on them and talk about some good news and we all smile at you let it just doesn't really seem very encouraging and now I at this point thanks to -- in his long was the same.
