KABUL - Head of the Internal Security Commission of the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament), Mirdad Nejrabi, on Monday lashed out at government for its failure to properly manage the war against insurgents.
He warned that next fighting season would be a hard one for Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), if the government failed to overcome mismanagement issues.
"The government didn't properly manage the war, but our security forces bravely fought against militants," he added.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Provincial Council of southern Helmand province, Karim Atal, said that 40 percent of Afghan troops in the province are ghost soldiers.
"Almost half of the salaries of absent soldiers have filled the pockets of officials," he added.
However, officials in the province said that special plans are in place to tackle the issue of ghost soldiers.
Helmand Police Chief, Abdul Rahman Sarjang, said that they have recuperated 2 million Afs in salaries of ghost soldiers in the province and the money will soon be paid over to national treasury.
NATO has also said that the next fighting season will be a dangerous one for Afghans. It said that the ANSF does not have the capability to fight against insurgents. This was revealed in a leaked document that German magazine Der Spiegel reported on last week.
However, a number of political experts accused foreign forces of having their own axe to grind. They believe that Afghan forces, if equipped with fighter jets and other equipment, will be capable of eliminating insurgents.
Nasrullah Stanekzai, a professor at Kabul University, believes that by coming up with such remarks, NATO has its own axe to grind.
Even though foreign forces fought alongside the ANSF in Kunduz and Helmand, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said that Afghan security forces are capable of defeating militants.
Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the MoD, admitted that Afghan forces were under pressure this year, but said: "Our forces proved that they have the capability to defeat militants and not let them reach their goals."
The issue of ghost soldiers has however become a problem in Helmand and it has even increased the casualties among Afghan forces, officials believe. As many as 700 troops were killed and more than 500 others wounded in Helmand province over the past three months. (Tolonews)