Corruption a significant challenge for Afghanistan: US

Corruption remains a significant challenge for Afghanistan even as the President Hamid Karzai this week recommitted to root this out, the US government said on Wednesday.

“Theres a lot of work being done, a lot of support for this being provided by the United States. But we still recognise this is a very significant ongoing challenge,” the US State Department spokesman, P J Crowley said.

Noting that Karzai this week recommitted himself publicly to rooting out corruption, Crowley said there are many things that the government is doing, but one has to recognise this is a significant ongoing challenge.

The criticism comes as a US Congress committee has voted to block $4.8 billion worth of aid to Afghanistan until the Kabul government roots out corruption.

The chairwoman of the committee in charge of the budget, Nita Lowey, has described the corruption allegations as “outrageous”.

Observing that Afghanistan is largely a cash economy, the spokesman for the States Department said theres a lot of money flowing through Afghanistan and out from Afghanistan.

“Obviously, this has come to the attention of congressional figures and were going to answer the questions that the Congress has raised about the accounting systems that are being put in place, the transparency that is being put in place,” Crowley said, adding that the ability of Afghanistan to track money flows around the country has expanded significantly in recent months.