5 Key Takeaways From Newly <br />Released Afghanistan Documents.<br />The documents were obtained <br />by 'The Washington Post' <br />and revealed on Monday.<br />They are related to an investigation by <br />an obscure governmental department, <br />known as the Special Inspector General <br />for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).<br />1. "The American people <br />have been constantly lied to.".<br />Though Washington officials have <br />depicted the war in Afghanistan as <br />successful, the reality is much more complex.<br />2. The Afghanistan War has <br />cost American taxpayers $2 trillion.<br />We were given money, told to spend it, and we did — without reason, Unidentified Official, 2016 Interview, <br />via 'The New York Times'.<br />3. Corruption is rampant.<br />The documents reveal that <br />skimming of funds by Afghan <br />officials has undermined U.S. strategy.<br />4. U.S. understanding of <br />the enemy has been blurry.<br />I have no visibility into who the bad guys are, Donald Rumsfeld, Former Defense Secretary, <br />via 'The New York Times'.<br />5. U.S. strategy of <br />nation-building was <br />ill-suited for Afghanistan.<br />Because Afghan culture is based <br />on Islamic law and tribalism, the <br />time frame of the installation of <br />American democracy was unrealistic
