US Agency Says Rebuilding Afghanistan Cost Thousands Of Lives
2020-02-12
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1Rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan have left 5,135 people killed or injured since 2002, a new report by a U.S. government group says.
2The Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR), John F. Sopko, says his report is the first to look at the human cost of rebuilding Afghanistan following the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.
3SIGAR monitors the billions of dollars the United States spends in Afghanistan.
4The report, called "The Human Cost of Reconstruction," was released on February 11.
5It said that 2,214 people have been killed in mostly U.S.-led projects to rebuild the country.
6It said the deaths were the result of Taliban and other militant attacks from 2002 through 2018.
7It did not include accidental or other deaths connected to the reconstruction projects.
8The report added that another 2,921 people were wounded in the rebuilding efforts - from the construction of roads and bridges to building schools.
9Such projects are often seen as easy attack targets.
10Other projects included counter-narcotics, governance, and mine removal.
11SIGAR said the most dangerous job was road construction, which made up "30 percent of all casualties."
12More than 70 percent of those killed or injured -- and about 86 percent of those kidnapped -- were Afghans.
13Almost all of those Afghans were civilians.
14The deaths included 284 Americans, both civilian and military.
15SIGAR also found that 1,182 people were either kidnapped or went missing.
16The report did not say how many of those kidnapped had been recovered.
17Most of the casualties, the report shows, happened during the height of the reconstruction efforts -- between 2008 and 2011.
18The United States has spent nearly $1 trillion in Afghanistan, the majority of which has been spent on security and war-fighting costs.
19About $137 billion has been spent on Afghan reconstruction and aid since 2002.
20An earlier SIGAR report released last month said the poverty rate in Afghanistan is climbing.
21In 2012, 37 percent of Afghans were considered to be below the poverty rate, meaning they survive on less than $1 a day.
22Today that figure has risen to 55 percent of Afghans.
23The latest findings come during renewed U.S.-led peace talks with the Taliban.
24The talks are aimed at opening the way for withdrawing American troops.
25The Taliban today controls or has influence over about half of Afghanistan.
26They carry out almost daily attacks targeting Afghan and U.S. forces, government officials and those seen as linked to the government.
27The 18-year-long war in the country has been deadly for Afghan civilians.
28The United Nations first began documenting civilian casualties of the Afghan war in 2009.
29It estimates that between then and October 2019, a total of 34,677 Afghan civilians have been killed.
30The deaths happened during insurgent attacks as well during fighting between militants and Afghan security forces and allies in the U.S.-led coalition.
31On Tuesday, Afghanistan's interior ministry said a suicide bomber killed six people near a military academy in Kabul, the Afghan capital.
32The Taliban denied involvement in the bombing and there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
33It was the first major attack in the capital this year, and took place in the morning near the government-run defense university.
34I'm Anne Ball.
1Rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan have left 5,135 people killed or injured since 2002, a new report by a U.S. government group says. 2The Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR), John F. Sopko, says his report is the first to look at the human cost of rebuilding Afghanistan following the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. SIGAR monitors the billions of dollars the United States spends in Afghanistan. 3The report, called "The Human Cost of Reconstruction," was released on February 11. It said that 2,214 people have been killed in mostly U.S.-led projects to rebuild the country. 4It said the deaths were the result of Taliban and other militant attacks from 2002 through 2018. It did not include accidental or other deaths connected to the reconstruction projects. 5The report added that another 2,921 people were wounded in the rebuilding efforts - from the construction of roads and bridges to building schools. Such projects are often seen as easy attack targets. 6Other projects included counter-narcotics, governance, and mine removal. 7SIGAR said the most dangerous job was road construction, which made up "30 percent of all casualties." 8More than 70 percent of those killed or injured -- and about 86 percent of those kidnapped -- were Afghans. Almost all of those Afghans were civilians.The deaths included 284 Americans, both civilian and military. 9SIGAR also found that 1,182 people were either kidnapped or went missing. The report did not say how many of those kidnapped had been recovered. 10Most of the casualties, the report shows, happened during the height of the reconstruction efforts -- between 2008 and 2011. 11The United States has spent nearly $1 trillion in Afghanistan, the majority of which has been spent on security and war-fighting costs. 12About $137 billion has been spent on Afghan reconstruction and aid since 2002. 13An earlier SIGAR report released last month said the poverty rate in Afghanistan is climbing. In 2012, 37 percent of Afghans were considered to be below the poverty rate, meaning they survive on less than $1 a day. Today that figure has risen to 55 percent of Afghans. 14The latest findings come during renewed U.S.-led peace talks with the Taliban. The talks are aimed at opening the way for withdrawing American troops. 15The Taliban today controls or has influence over about half of Afghanistan. They carry out almost daily attacks targeting Afghan and U.S. forces, government officials and those seen as linked to the government. 16The 18-year-long war in the country has been deadly for Afghan civilians. The United Nations first began documenting civilian casualties of the Afghan war in 2009. It estimates that between then and October 2019, a total of 34,677 Afghan civilians have been killed. 17The deaths happened during insurgent attacks as well during fighting between militants and Afghan security forces and allies in the U.S.-led coalition. 18On Tuesday, Afghanistan's interior ministry said a suicide bomber killed six people near a military academy in Kabul, the Afghan capital. 19The Taliban denied involvement in the bombing and there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. It was the first major attack in the capital this year, and took place in the morning near the government-run defense university. 20I'm Anne Ball. 21Anne Ball wrote this story with information from the Associated Press, Reuters and RFE/RL. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 22What do you think of this story? Write to us in the comments section below. 23_____________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25reconstruction - n. the act or process of building something that was damaged or destroyed again 26monitor - v. to watch, observe, listen to, or check (something) for a special purpose over a period of time 27narcotics (plural) - n. a drug (such as cocaine, heroin, or marijuana) that affects the brain and that is usually dangerous and illegal 28casualties (plural) - n. a person who is hurt or killed during an accident, war, etc. 29insurgent - n. a person who fights against an established government or authority 30figure - n. a value that is expressed in numbers