The US government plans to spend more than $10bn in Afghanistan next year on non-military aid. <br /><br />But much of that will be wasted or swallowed by corruption, unless new efforts to tighten the contracting process succeed, US government-appointed auditors say.<br /><br />Since 2001, Washington has spent around $40bn on reconstruction assistance to Afghanistan.<br /><br />Almost one-third of the funds have been directed at economic and social development projects. The rest has gone to improving governance, rule of law, human rights and countering narcotics.<br /><br />But as Kimberly Halkett reports, US government watchdog groups face big challenges in making sure that aid money is spent as intended.
