The Afghanistan military could be a threat to the nation’s security if there would be no international assistance, following a peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban officials, a US official report said on Thursday.
According to Dawn news reports, the findings have come as Washington was seeking to broker a peace agreement between the Afghan government internationally recognized government led by Ashraf Ghani and the insurgent fighters.
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) office head John Sopko said, “There are over 300,000 Afghans currently serving in the security forces, most of whom are armed,” adding, “If, because of a loss of financial support, their paychecks were to stop coming, this could pose a serious threat to Afghanistan’s stability.”
The report said that the United States has provided Afghanistan with more than $780 billion aid, in which some 15 per cent has spent their time on reconstruction. Around $83.1 billion or 63 per cent has been spent over the Afghan security services also including infrastructure, training, salaries and equipment.
Sopko said, “It does not take an advanced degree in mathematics to recognise that if donor support is decreased or eliminated — whether there is a peace agreement or not — the Afghan government and its military, in particular, will be in dire straits.”
The report has warned if any deal reached, around 60,000 heavily armed Taliban fighters will need to prepare for peaceful reintegrated into Afghan society.