A Pentagon audit revealed on Monday that the U.S. has potentially wasted billions of tax payers' money in Afghanistan aid, underscoring the U.S.' major lack of oversight and the need to reassess its aid efforts in the region.

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko cited a number of overlooked efforts that needed to be re-reviewed, including the donation of U.S. planes, the infrastructure projects in the region, and the disappearance of weapons under Afghan custody.

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Earlier this month, Sopko questioned the turnover of two C-130 Hercules transport planes to Afghanistan.

He cautioned against unnecessary expenditures, saying that Afghanistan has yet to show its capability in supporting the two planes that were already given to them, referring to the Afghans' inability to operate it.

Sopko criticized the government for providing aid without considering the Afghans' needs and ability to sustain it, adding that now is the time to reassess its efforts to make sure taxpayers' funds will be spent wisely.

Days after, Sopko condemned a US$1.57 billion project that involved the construction of 285 buildings that included barracks, fire stations and medical clinics. He said the structures were lined with inferior spray insulation and declared it in violation of international building codes.

In a separate report, SIGAR criticized the US$34 million construction of a 64,000 square-foot compound in Afghanistan's Washir District, which it said has never been used.

It was also discovered in December that US$5.4 million was wasted in the construction of incinerators that turned out to be inoperable leaving soldiers to burn wastes in open pits.

According to the SIGAR team, the U.S. has provided about US$626 million worth of weapons and auxiliary equipment to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) since 2004, adding that this figure has exceeded the ANSF's requirement by at least 112,000 weapons.

The report added that the number is expected to increase after a planned reduction in ANSF personnel in 2017.

The audit revealed almost 500,000 weapons were unaccounted for while at least 43 percent of the total inventory was found to have either been missing or duplicated in records.

The report cited the ANSF's poor recordkeeping standards that still relied on hand-written reports or Excel spreadsheets while attempts to automate the system have been perpetually hindered by the country's deficiencies in basic education and constant turnover of its military forces.

Sopko stressed a re-evaluation of efforts, noting concerns that the weapons paid for with tax payers' money could likely end up in rebels' hands that could be used to murder Americans and Afghan civilians and troops.

TagsJohn Sopko, SIGAR, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, US aid, Afghanistan aid, weapons accountability, Afghanistan reconstruction