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January 16, 2020

Afghan Reconstruction Watchdog Tells Congress of U.S. "Mendacity" and "Lies"
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On Capitol Hill, the top government watchdog for Afghanistan
reconstruction told lawmakers Wednesday that U.S. officials have
routinely lied to the American public throughout the U.S.-led war in
Afghanistan, now in its 19th year. Special Inspector General John F.
Sopko was testifying to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. 

John Sopko: "The problem is there is a disincentive, really, to tell the
truth. And when we talk about mendacity, when we talk about lying, it's
not just by lying about a particular program. It's lying by omissions,
by saying, 'Oh, I can't tell you about the casualties,' or 'I can't tell
you about how good the Afghans [inaudible] weapons,' or 'I can't tell
you this and that.' Turns out that everything that's bad news has been
classified over the last few years."

Last month, The Washington Post published excerpts from a confidential
trove of documents that revealed how senior U.S. officials have
repeatedly lied about the war's progress while hiding evidence the war
had become unwinnable.


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