LASHKARGAH - Hayatullah Hayat, the governor of Helmand province, has claimed to have discovered more than 'ghost soldiers' within the ranks of the Afghan National Police (ANP) and on the province payroll.
Those 'ghost soldiers' have subsequently been removed, he said.
"We are planning systematic changes in the ranks of the police forces. Our assessments indicate that there are ghost soldiers within the ranks of the security forces in Helmand. So far we have discovered at least 400 and scrapped them from the list," he said.
The statement follows a few months after rumors surfaced about the existence of thousands of 'ghost soldiers' on the payroll within the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), something that sparked great controversy in the country.
In addition, the provincial governor reported the immanent activation of the second phase of the 'Khanjar 13' military operation aimed at eliminating the insurgents in several regions across the country.
"The second phase of Operation Khanjar 13 will soon commence. We will target vulnerable areas in this operation," Hayat added.
The Helmand provincial council has asked the ANSF to repress the insurgent Taliban during the operation and curb their presence in areas from where the group plots attacks on civilians and the security forces.
"Forces in Helmand must strive to get tangible outcomes from the operation and to wipe out the terrorists," said Attaullah Afghan, secretary of Helmand provincial council.
Residents in the province have also pledged to support the security forces in their struggle against the militants.
This comes at a time when Afghan forces are struggling to man the front lines against a rising Taliban insurgency in the war riven country. This is in part because of untold numbers of "ghost" troops who are paid salaries but only exist on paper.
It remains an issue that has led to strong criticism from military analysts who have constantly put the government in Kabul under fire for its poor leadership of the war on the battlefields.(Tolonews)