Survey: Afghan gov't more corrupt than Taliban

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Bribery and corruption are pervasive in Afghanistan's current government, according to a survey released Monday that said most Afghans believe their leaders are more corrupt than the Soviet-backed government in the 1980s or the Taliban-run government in the 1990s. About 60 percent of respondents said the current administration is more corrupt than any other in the past two decades, said the report by Integrity Watch Afghanistan, an independent group. "Over the last five years, corruption has soared to levels not seen in previous administrations," it said. Money "can buy government appointments, bypass justice or evade police," while the government is "unable or unwilling to seriously tackle corruption," it said. The group said it interviewed 1,258 Afghans for the study.