[Tolo News] The United States congress has expressed concern about widespread corruption in Afghanistan. Senator John
I was in Vietnam, you knowKerry, one of the strongest backers of the US strategy in Afghanistan, said the United States Congress is growing increasingly concerned about corruption in Afghanistan and that he plans to raise the issue directly with the Afghan president, Hamid
Maybe I'll join the TalibanKarzai during a visit to Kabul this week.
The strongest message President Karzai could send is one that elevates the credibility of his government, and that he is to be viewed as a genuine reformer," Kerry said in an interview with Washington Post..
Right now, he is not, and we have to be concerned about this, he added.
The US senator's comments are revealed at a time when a series of independent reports have documented graft and bribery at every level in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan's High Office of Oversight and Anti-corruption, has denied reports based on the increase of administrative corruption in the country.
"Administrative corruption exists in Afghanistan's government institutions in a considerable extent, but corruption has decreased to some extent as well," Mohammad Yasin Osmani, head of Afghanistan's High Office of Oversight and Anti-corruption, told TOLOnews.
"Some reforms are brought to the government institutions that have reduced corruption to a large extent," he added.
Senior US administration officials have been especially concerned about Karzai's move earlier this month to assert control over US-backed investigations into high-level government corruption.
Karzai accused the Major Crimes Task Force and Special Investigative Unit of operating outside the Afghan constitution and violating the civil rights of some of the several dozens of officials they have targeted, and said he would issue a decree outlining new regulations for the bodies.
President Barack
B.O.Obama raised the corruption issue during an hour-long video conference with Karzai on Friday, in which issues such as civilian protection during the battle and the basic services delivery to Afghans were also discussed.