‘Afghan army facing corruption, lack of leadership’

WASHINGTON: US General John Nicholson, the commander of international forces in Afghanistan, said the biggest challenges facing Afghanistan next year are leadership and corruption in the Afghan military, a Pentagon report says.

“These do plague some portions of the Afghan security forces, and what it has led to is a poor sustainment of soldiers in the field," Nicholson said at the Pentagon on Saturday.

The general said ineffectiveness and corruption in the supply system had left some Afghan soldiers on outposts without water, food or the ammunition they needed to fight.

Nicholson said he had spoken "very frankly" with Afghan military and government leaders about these problems and would focus on implementing solutions, including the replacement of corrupt leaders, during the winter campaign.

The Afghan forces still have control over roughly two-thirds of the population, but the numbers have dropped slightly, from 68 percent to 64 percent, since September.

The Taliban had lost its ability to "mass" for attacks, and had carried out more small-scale attacks on checkpoints “in attempt to isolate the cities and create panic,” he added.

Nicholson said the militant group had made eight attempts since August to take provincial capitals inside Afghanistan.

“Every one of these attempts failed,” he said.  In comparison to 2015, the number of high-profile attacks was lower across the country. In Kabul, for example, the Afghan government reported 18 high-profile attacks last year and 12 high-profile attacks this year, a one-third reduction.