Afghanistan Army 'Not Ready to Take Over'

Afghanistan Is Not Ready to Take Over - Richard H. P. Sia - The Atlantic: 

"The goal to 'train and field' 352,000 Afghan National Security Forces by last October was not met." Sopko said in his latest quarterly report. Instead, as of Feb. 18, the number of personnel in the Afghan National Army, National Police and Air Force totaled 332,753, or about 20,000 fewer, according to data he said he collected from the Coalition-led transition command in Kabul.
Sopko said Afghan troop and police strength is actually declining, not rising - belying a longstanding goal of the U.S. intervention. There are now 4,700 fewer personnel than a year ago, he noted, drawing on the same data that the Pentagon routinely uses."