Afghanistan 'will be unable to run military bases post Nato withdrawal'

11-01-2012 • http://www.telegraph.co.uk, By Ben Farmer

Kabul's military has neither the staff, nor the expertise, to maintain or operate hundreds of bases it will inherit from the coalition troops as they prepare to withdraw combat forces by the end of 2014.

The audit from a Congressional watchdog which checks the billions America has poured into Afghanistan questioned whether the efforts to bolster the Afghan police and army against the Taliban were sustainable.

The Afghan government would "likely be incapable of fully sustaining Afghan national security forces facilities after the transition in 2014 and the expected decrease in US and coalition support" it warned.

Building up the Afghan forces so they can one day assume the fight against the Taliban has been a central pillar of coalition strategy.