The number of Afghan soldiers fell 11 percent last year. This was conveyed by the US government agency on Tuesday (2/5). The diminished Afghan army shows the Kabul government's difficulty in dealing with security issues.
On Monday, a double blast in Kabul killed at least 26 people, including nine journalists who reported the first explosion. The journalists appeared to be the target of suicide bombers. The attack was only a week after 60 people died while queuing at the city's election registry.
In a report broadcast on Tuesday, the Washington-based organization monitoring monitors Afghanistan (SIGAR) said the number of soldiers incorporated in the Afghan National Security and Defense Force (ANDSF) - which includes the army, the air, the air and the police - was around 296,400 counted in January .
The figure is down 10.6 percent compared to the same month in 2017. The United States itself has for the past two decades seeks to build Afghan security forces that are able to protect and maintain the territory independently.
"The building of Afghan troop capacity is a top priority for the United States and friendly countries, so it is very worrying to see the armed forces in Afghanistan decline," John Sopko, head of SIGAR, told Reuters.
Thousands of additional US troops have been sent to Afghanistan to train troops there. In the meantime they are also given wider authority to stage air strikes targeting armed groups to militants.