U.S. Military Unable To Track 40% Of The Weapons That It Has Given To The Afghan Army

U.S.-supplied weapons like these M-16s in Kandahar, Afghanistan, often lack proper accounting by both U.S. and Afghan authorities, according to a new investigation. SIGAR

Afghanistan: Awash In Guns, As Well As Narcotics -- Time

Contrary to law, U.S. military lacks data on nearly half the weapons delivered

The bad news out of Afghanistan this week is that the U.S. military’s accounting for the arsenals the Pentagon is giving to Afghan security forces is plagued by “incompatible inventory systems” that generate “missing serial numbers, inaccurate shipping and receiving dates, and duplicate records,” according to a new report from the top U.S. government investigator inside Afghanistan.

The worse news? The problems become “far more severe” once the weapons are in the hands of the Afghan forces. “Given the Afghan government’s limited ability to account for or properly dispose of these weapons, there is a real potential for these weapons to fall into the hands of insurgents, which will pose additional risks to U.S. personnel, the Afghan National Security Forces, and Afghan civilians,” according to John Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction.

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More News On The U.S. Military Being Unable To Track 40% Of The Weapons That It Has Given To The Afghan Army

Pentagon running out of time to find mass of missing weapons in Afghanistan -- Washington Times
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Thousands of guns unaccounted for by Afghan security forces -- RT
Afghanistan's gun problem: Too many weapons, not enough oversight -- Al Jazeera
Washington Unable to Track US Weapons Sent to Afghan Army – Reports -- RIA Novsoti
U.S.-Supplied Weapons Vulnerable After Afghanistan Withdrawal -- US News and World Report
Where Are The Guns The U.S. Gave To Afghanistan? -- Buzz Feed