Afghan army 'was much smaller than 300,000'In the last few weeks, Taliban fighters, armed with little more than AK-47s, have rolled through Afghanistan virtually unopposed.
BBC Newsnight has been told that one of the main reasons behind the Afghan National Army's collapse is that the true size of its fighting force was just a fraction of the official figure.
President Biden has repeatedly said an Afghan army numbering 300,000 men received hundreds of millions of dollars for equipment and training.
But two well-placed sources tell us the true number of troops was actually much lower - closer to 50,000.
An Afghani source with direct knowledge told Newsnight that in a meeting with former Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, newly appointed Defence Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi expressed alarm about the true figure of only 50,000 soldiers.
A second source, terrorism expert Dr Sajjan Gohel, also supported the 50,000 figure. ..........
.................We asked the White House if intelligence showing the Afghan army was only 50,000 strong was shown to the president.
A spokesman declined to answer.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-asia-58219963
