RASC News Agency: Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has expressed astonishment at the staggering financial waste incurred by the United States in Afghanistan. Reacting to a social media post highlighting that the U.S. had spent hundreds of millions of dollars on failed projects in the war-torn country, Musk simply responded: “Wow!” The misallocation of American funds in Afghanistan has long been a subject of criticism, with officials in Washington questioning the sheer scale of wasteful spending under multiple administrations.
On Tuesday, a user on X (formerly Twitter) cited a report by ProPublica, a New York-based investigative journalism organization, revealing that by 2015, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) had collectively squandered hundreds of millions of dollars on ill-conceived projects in Afghanistan. One user, identified as Maze (MAZE), pointed out that USAID had funneled $335 million into a diesel power plant that never became operational, as Afghanistan lacked the infrastructure to import and sustain a steady supply of diesel fuel.
Musk responded with disbelief, underscoring how American taxpayer money had been recklessly spent in Afghanistan with little to no return on investment. Another American commentator detailed further botched infrastructure initiatives, claiming that the U.S. government poured $250 million into an unfinished road project, which was ultimately destroyed. He further noted that billions had been allocated across various sectors, yet the overwhelming majority of these expenditures yielded no tangible results. In recent years, several U.S. officials have criticized President Joe Biden, accusing his administration of mismanaging financial aid and defense spending in Afghanistan.
Under Donald Trump’s presidency, a decision was made to dismantle USAID’s operations, transferring its responsibilities to the U.S. State Department. Previously, USAID had overseen the majority of American foreign aid efforts across the globe, many of which have since been reassessed for their effectiveness.
