China has reportedly begun to provide military aid to Afghanistan via a Russian plane as the Obama administration plans to further reduce the presence of U.S. troops in the country remain in place.
The Taliban is exploiting the prevalent centuries-old pedophilic custom of bacha bazi, or “playing with boys,” to launch deadly attacks against police in southern Afghanistan, using the officers’ affinity for child sex slaves against them, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Washington and Kabul are clueless as to how many Afghan security troops “actually exist,” are available for duty, and whether they are truly capable of defending their own country, a top government watchdog tells Congress.
Some Afghan security forces trained by the United States are defecting to the Taliban, CNN reports.
The Pentagon has “lost much of its ability” to monitor the effectiveness and capability of the Afghan security forces as the Taliban and other insurgents have stepped up their assaults, stresses the top watchdog for U.S.-funded nation-building projects in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense is using a rap video to lure recruits into the Afghan National Army (ANA).
The U.S.-backed government of Afghanistan is turning to China for help in expanding the “extremely limited” capabilities of the Afghan Air Force (AAF).
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Pentagon lacks a reliable system to gauge whether the Afghan security troops are an effective fighting force capable of holding its ground against the enemies of Afghanistan, such as the Taliban and the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), reports a congressionally appointed watchdog agency.
