A scathing final report from a US government watchdog has laid bare the colossal scale of American equipment and weapons left for the Taliban following the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Billions in Abandoned Military Hardware
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which is closing its doors, delivered its last 137-page audit. It concludes that the United States left behind $7.1 billion worth of taxpayer-funded equipment, weapons, and facilities when the Afghan government collapsed.
The Department of Defense was unable to destroy or retrieve any of this materiel. SIGAR states it is now almost certainly under Taliban control, forming the core of the insurgent group's security apparatus. This equipment had been purchased on behalf of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.
A Legacy of Failed Reconstruction
The report chronicles two decades of US involvement, during which Congress allocated a staggering $144.7 billion between 2002 and 2021 for reconstruction. Gene Aloise, the acting inspector general, wrote that the mission ultimately failed to deliver lasting stability or democracy.
He cited several reasons for this failure, including early decisions to ally with corrupt powerbrokers, which undermined US governance goals. The report also found the Taliban is benefiting from an additional $7.4 billion in US-funded infrastructure, like roads and hospitals, much of which is now dilapidated.
Financial Fallout and Moral Collapse
Millions of dollars remained in Afghan government accounts when the Taliban seized the Ministry of Finance in 2021. SIGAR determined the militants likely accessed a significant portion of these funds.
Furthermore, the report suggests the sudden withdrawal of US military support "destroyed the morale" of Afghan security forces, who had become reliant on American backing. Despite the Taliban takeover, the US remained the country's largest donor, with disbursements of $120 million as recently as March 2025.
The withdrawal process was initiated under an agreement between the Trump administration and the Taliban in 2020 and was executed by President Joe Biden the following year, culminating in August 2021.
