November 10, 2021
2 mins read

‘Ghost soldiers failed Afghan army’

Former Afghan Finance Minister Khalid Payenda, who resigned and left the country as the Islamist group advanced, said records showing that security forces greatly outnumbered the Taliban were incorrect….reports Asian Lite News

 Another shocking revelation jolted the international community as the Afghanistan’s ex-Finance Minister has blamed the government’s fall on corrupt officials who invented “ghost soldiers” and took payments from the Taliban, BBC reported.

Khalid Payenda told the BBC that most of the 300,000 troops and police on the government’s books did not exist.

He said phantom personnel were added to official lists so that generals could pocket their wages, the report said.

The Taliban rapidly seized control of Afghanistan in August, as US forces withdrew after 20 years in the country.

Payenda, who resigned and left the country as the Islamist group advanced, said records showing that security forces greatly outnumbered the Taliban were incorrect.

“The way the accountability was done, you would ask the chief in that province how many people you have and based on that you could calculate salaries and ration expenses and they would always be inflated,” he told the BBC.

The former minister said the numbers may have been inflated by more than six times, and included “desertions (and) martyrs who were never accounted for because some of the commanders would keep their bank cards” and withdraw their salaries, he alleged.

Afghan national army soldiers take part in an operation against Taliban militants in Kunduz city, Afghanistan. (Photo by Ajmal Kakar_Xinhua_IANS)

A 2016 report by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (Sigar) claimed that “neither the United States nor its Afghan allies know how many Afghan soldiers and police actually exist, how many are in fact available for duty, or, by extension, the true nature of their operational capabilities”.

In a more recent report, Sigar expressed “serious concerns about the corrosive effects of corruption… and the questionable accuracy of data on the actual strength of the force”.

Payenda said that troops who did exist were often not paid on time, while there were generals who were “double-dipping” – taking their government wage, and then also accepting payments from the Taliban to give up without a fight.

ALSO READ: Worst crisis on earth: UN on Afghanistan humanitarian situation

ALSO READ: NSA meet sees call for greater regional cooperation

Previous Story

Adnan Sami proud of the great honour

Next Story

Biden, Xi to hold virtual meet next week

Latest from -Top News

India-EU Trade Talks Resume

The proposed India-EU FTA covers 23 policy areas, or chapters, of which at least two – market access and rules of origin – have yet to be resolved….reports Asian Lite News India

India Launches Relief Ops in Bhutan

The Royal Government of Bhutan has expressed sincere gratitude to the Indian Army…reports Asian Lite News Amid unprecedented floods caused by a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal, relentless rainfall has

Jaishankar Hints at Tariff Deal with US

Jaishankar explained that the ongoing trade tensions largely stem from the inability of both sides to reach a common ground on several issues….reports Asian Lite News External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on

Rajnath Singh Heads to Australia for Key Defence Talks

The visit comes at a historic moment when India and Australia commemorate five years of establishment of India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership…reports Asian Lite News Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Australia from
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Former Taliban snipper is now an Afghan city mayor

Mowaffaq was made mayor of Maymana, in November, three months

Taliban claim checking on poppy cultivation in Northeastern province

Afghanistan has been among the world’s top illicit drug-producing countries.