Afghan forces face lack of quality equipment: US watchdog

Over the past 18 years, the US government has poured $18 billion into equipping Afghanistan’s military, including over 600,000 weapons, 70,000 vehicles and more than 200 aircraft. But despite the support, Afghan forces still are unable to stand on their own against militant threat, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconciliation John Sopko said.
SIGAR found that US and NATO efforts have often been unorganized, with Afghan forces suffering as a result.
One problem Sopko pointed out was a gap in standardization. He specifically blamed an eight-year lag in shifting Afghan forces to the latest standardized NATO weaponry for an ammunition shortage that left them unable to repel a Taliban attack in Ghazni province in 2018.
"As a result, during a Taliban attack on Ghazni province last year, the Afghan Army was unable to supply their besieged police colleagues because their ammunition was not compatible," Sopko said.
He called a lack of armoured ambulances for Afghan forces another “absurd example” of missed opportunities to better support Afghan forces. Currently, the Afghan forces have just 38 armoured ambulances.
SIGAR warned that Afghan forces may not be capable of sustaining peace, even if a deal with the Taliban can be reached.
"Afghan security forces cannot survive without external donor support, both financial and technical," Sopko said.
"Problems don't miraculously disappear. We, and other oversight bodies, have identified problems that affected reconstruction. And some of these problems could affect lasting peace," he said.