Jim Kouri
Pentagon officials paid companies tied to Afghan terrorists
FacebookTwitter
By Jim Kouri
November 25, 2013

An internal investigation within the Pentagon has uncovered the U.S. government has paid more than $150-million to organizations that finance attacks by terrorists against American soldiers serving in Afghanistan, according to an American Political Action Committee (Ameri-Pac) statement released on Wednesday.

Evidence obtained by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), John Sopko,

reveals that a contractor, identified by the CENTCOM (Central Command) commanding officer, is financially supporting the Taliban, the Haqqani Network and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and may provide these groups access to a Coalition-controlled facility.

This security lapse seems to have been caused by gaps in how contractor information is shared by U.S. government agencies supporting the reconstruction effort, Sopko reported.

"Unless immediate action is taken to correct this matter, this contractor and other supporters of the insurgency could continue to gain access to U.S.- and Coalition-controlled facilities in Afghanistan.

SIGAR uncovered this matter while investigating construction defects at the Parwan Justice Center complex, a project funded jointly by the Departments of State and Defense," Sopko wrote in a confidential letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

For example, in June 2011, the Defense Department's Bagram Regional Contracting Center awarded CLC Construction Company (CLC) a contract to build a courthouse at the Bagram military complex. Sopko claims he began an inspection of the courthouse in May 2013, when he discovered that "U.S. government officials found various problems with the contractor's work. Inspections found that the courthouse had serious structural deficiencies."

During the course of his investigation, Sopko discovered that CLC hired the Zurmat Material Testing Laboratory (ZMTL), a subsidiary of the Zurmat Group, to conduct various construction safety tests.

"Evidence obtained by SIGAR indicates that for two days in November 2012, employees of ZMTL were given access to the Parwan Justice Center complex. However, these individuals should not have had access to a Coalition-controlled facility, because the U.S. government determined as early as April 2012, that the Zurmat Group poses a threat to U.S. and Coalition forces," he stated in his report to Hagel.

On April 27, 2012, the U.S. Commerce Department had added the Zurmat Group and ZMTL to its list of suspicious groups and individuals because of Zurmat's involvement in providing materials that are considered "dual-purpose" but were actually used to build improvised explosive devices (IEDs) commonly utilized against U.S. and coalition combat troops in Afghanistan.

On September 17, 2012, the CENTCOM commander at the time – Gen. James N. Mattis – identified the Zurmat Group and its subsidiaries as actively supporting the insurgency in Afghanistan. Gen. Mattis' designation restricted the Zurmat Group and its subsidiaries from receiving Department of Defense contracts within the CENTCOM theater of operations.

"This lapse in security highlights the immediate need for a simple process to ensure that companies identified as supporters of the insurgency are prevented from accessing U.S.- and Coalition-controlled facilities," said Sopko.

© Jim Kouri

 

The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)


Jim Kouri

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police... (more)

Subscribe

Receive future articles by Jim Kouri: Click here

More by this author

September 10, 2017
Trump Justice: 'Dreamer' wanted for murder nabbed by feds in NJ and extradited


July 26, 2017
NJ 12-year-old's suicide a plea for cyber-bullying law: GOP candidate Heather Darling


June 12, 2017
Obama hampered law enforcement investigation of Iranian terrorism funding


June 2, 2017
Prez of Young Democrats and Mayor de Blasio staffer busted for kiddie porn; one victim 6-mos. old


May 29, 2017
The conservative approach to taxation and a healthy business climate


May 24, 2017
U.S. intelligence reports warn of cyber "Cold War"


March 3, 2017
Media attack Trump's terrorism expert Dr. Sebastian Gorka


December 23, 2016
Trump's border wall: The bill was passed and signed into law


December 22, 2016
Dem lawmakers demand commission to probe Trump-Russia conspiracy


December 14, 2016
Outraged Vets: VA hospital death touted as proof of Obama and Democrats indifference


More articles

 

Stephen Stone
The most egregious lies Evan McMullin and the media have told about Sen. Mike Lee

Siena Hoefling
Protect the Children: Update with VIDEO

Stephen Stone
Flashback: Dems' fake claim that Trump and Utah congressional hopeful Burgess Owens want 'renewed nuclear testing' blows up when examined

Jerry Newcombe
Church should be about worship, not entertainment

Kari Lee Fournier
Almighty God vs. Satan: Satan and his Deep State, panic everywhere!

Tom DeWeese
SDG Trifecta? Education, Healthcare & Vaccinations

Curtis Dahlgren
Hackademania: "What fools these mortals be," Shakespeare

Laurie Roth
Trump, the truth, and America will prevail in spite of leftist evil plans

Cliff Kincaid
Terrorist attack in Baltimore

Tom DeWeese
DOJ ignores 2nd Amendment

Linda Goudsmit
CHAPTER 11: Critical Race Theory: A species of the ideological thought genus Marxism

Pete Riehm
They have tried everything to destroy Trump, but assassination

Tom DeWeese
When your red state governor dresses in blue

Rev. Mark H. Creech
Revelation Chapter 22: Eternal recompense

Tom DeWeese
YIMBYs, workforce housing, and community land trusts: All means to an end to private property
  More columns

Cartoons


Click for full cartoon
More cartoons

Columnists

Matt C. Abbott
Chris Adamo
Russ J. Alan
Bonnie Alba
Chuck Baldwin
Kevin J. Banet
J. Matt Barber
Fr. Tom Bartolomeo
. . .
[See more]

Sister sites