Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US will withdraw $100 million earmarked for an energy infrastructure project in Afghanistan because of corruption in the country, according to a report on Thursday.
He said the funds would be returned to the US Treasury and another $60 million in planned assistance would be held back because of Afghanistan’s “inability to transparently manage US Government resources,” Reuters reported.
The project would be completed using an “‘off-budget’ mechanism,” he said.
“Due to identified Afghan Government corruption and financial mismanagement, the U.S. Government is returning approximately $100 million to the U.S. Treasury that was intended for a large energy infrastructure project,” Pompeo said in a statement issued by the State Department.
Later on Thursday, Pompeo warned Afghanistan to hold a “credible and transparent” presidential election on Sept. 28.