Afghanistan builds 150,000-strong national army: official media

Kabul, Aug 28 (IANS) The Taliban-run administration has built a 150,000-strong national army and the number may increase, state-run news agency reported on Sunday."The current personnel of the National Army are 150,000. And the number may increase," Afghanistan's state-run Bakhtar news agency quoted Acting Defence Minister Mawlavi Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid as saying.Technical teams of the defence ministry, according to the top military official, have repaired 60 damaged helicopters over the past year.The former Afghan government, which collapsed in the wake of U.S.-led forces withdrawal in August last year, had a 350,000-strong security force including a 150,000-strong national army, Xinhua news agency reported quoting experts.
--IANS int/svn/

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