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U.S. military classifies information about Afghan reconstruction

For six years, U.S. taxpayers have been able to find out exactly how their money is being spent to sustain and build up the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and to train and equip them. Most of that information about the $65 billion in U.S. funding -- from the quarterly reports released by the office of Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) -- has now been classified, according to SIGAR's most recent quarterly report, for Jan. 2015.

The special inspector general, John Sopko, called the new classification "inexplicable" and said it is "a disservice to the interest of informed national discussion." SIGAR regularly reports on the most recent Afghan troop numbers, what they're paid, how they're trained and equipped, as well as information about infrastructure projects.

Tough questions from U.S. troops in Afghanistan 04:02

The commander for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John Campbell, advised SIGAR that the data is now classified because "we must be careful to avoid providing sensitive information to those who threaten our forces or Afghan forces" because such information might be used "to sharpen their attacks." This was an argument the New York Times editorial page found unpersuasive, writing Thursday that "it strains credulity to believe that insurgents would become more proficient fighters by poring over lengthy inspector general reports about an increasingly forgotten war."

Sopko asked U.S. agencies a number of questions -- over 140 of the answers to the questions were classified or restricted. For instance, SIGAR failed to obtain answers about the amount of funding the U.S. provided for food for the Afghan National Army, and how the $25 million authorized by Congress for women in the Afghan army was used.

Congress has since 2001 appropriated over $100 billion for Afghanistan reconstruction, even as the country saw its deadliest year in 2014, with over 5,000 Afghan soldiers and policemen killed. The number of attacks in Kabul, the Council on Foreign Relations notes, doubled last year, and suicide bombings by the Taliban have been increasing.

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