From January to November 2014 Afghan military shrank from 190,000 to roughly 169,000 members. Most of the losses appear to be desertions, while smaller percentages are ordinary discharges. More than 1,200 soldiers perished in combat last year.

MOSCOW - The Afghan Army lost more than 20,000 fighters in 2014 mostly due to desertion, discharge and combat deaths, a report provided to The New York Times by an American government watchdog agency revealed Tuesday.

From January to November 2014 Afghan military shrank from 190,000 to roughly 169,000 members, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction report states.

Most of the losses appear to be desertions, while smaller percentages are ordinary discharges. More than 1,200 soldiers perished in combat last year, according to the figures published in the report.

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The American-led military coalition stated that the Afghan Army’s size increased in the past few months, reaching about 173,000 in January. This remains the lowest troop level since the fall of 2011.

These new figures expose the challenge faced by the limited American contingent and those private contractors remaining in Afghanistan since the US mission officially ended combat operations in Afghanistan at the end of December 2014, after 14 years. The US currently keeps a residual force of 10,000 troops in the country. (Agencies)