A final report on 20 years of Afghanistan Reconstruction finds billions in waste

By Mary Louise Kelly,

Daniel Ofman, Jeanette Woods

Published December 19, 2025 at 3:51 PM CST

The U.S. poured billions of dollars into rebuilding Afghanistan for two decades. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with John Sopko, the former Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

Mary Louise Kelly

Mary Louise Kelly is a co-host of All Things Considered, NPR's award-winning afternoon newsmagazine.

See stories by Mary Louise Kelly

Daniel Ofman

Jeanette Woods