$7 billion worth equipment at an abandoned US base in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan have been stolen after the camp was handed to Afghan forces in 2014.
“There was equipment worth seven billion dollars at the PRT base and all of them were looted,” the provincial governor Mujib Rahman Samkanai said, according to TOLO News. “Former governors, commanders, mayors, directors, parliament members all are involved in this act.”
He stressed that each and every official have taken their part from the remains of the Provincial Reconstruction Team’s (PRT) base named Camp Kearney. The military base is located near the governor’s compound.
“They entered the PRT base and looted it. Based on my information, they even looted locked containers full of computers, weapons, and even Humvees and Pickup vehicles had existed at the base,” Samkanai said.
Paktika Police Chief Gen. Ghulam Sakhi Rogh Lewanai coonfirmed that the equipment is missing. He added that he has shared this issue with the Interior Ministry. However, taking into account a massive level of fraud in this field, it’s unlikely that any guilty person will be punished.
According to TOLO News’ source, in 2013-2014 US forces left the base and handed equipment worth nearly $8 billion to the Jabuk government. Now, only about $1bn worth equipment still exist at the base. The rest of are either broken, looted or stolen.