ISAF Embarrassed Over False Statements Made about Afghan Hospital

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has been hammering the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for its inability to oversee the expenditure of funds associated with reconstruction and development projects and the build up of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). SIGAR has released report after report over the past few years documenting oversight failures on the part of ISAF. In one specific report SIGAR recently cited the lack of oversight on the Salang Hospital in eastern Afghanistan built with U.S. money that was sub-standard and did not meet the requirements of the contract - clearly demonstrating a lack of oversight by ISAF. ISAF tried to counter the report with a "feel good story" of its own stating that the hospital was build to standard and everything was "just fine" to include that solar panels had been installed to augment the hospitals generator. Well . . . SIGAR found out in a subsequent investigation (substantiated by an by an NBC News crew) that there was no solar power unit (utilizing the GeoSpatial Agency's satellite coverage - something you would think that ISAF could do). In fact, ISAF has not sent an inspection team to look at the hospital because it is in a 'non-secure' area. Read more in "IG raps military's inspection of Afghan hospital", USA Today, February 26, 2014. It would appear that ISAF is losing the information operations battle with SIGAR.