Washington, Sept 4 (ANI): Nearly one in seven Afghan soldiers walked off the job during the first six months of this year, according a new report.
Statistics compiled by NATO have revealed that over 24,000 soldiers walked off the job between January and June.
In June over 5,000 soldiers deserted, nearly three percent of the 170,000-strong force, the report said.
Afghan and coalition military officials said that the soldiers who leave often complain about poor living conditions or commanders who do not allow a regular vacation schedule, the Washington Post reports.
But Afghan and US military officials also said poor leadership is a main reason soldiers desert the ranks.
Those commanders who are corrupt or fail to ensure proper pay, food or vacation for their subordinates have higher attrition.
These problems have been around for years, but coalition officials did not offer specific reasons for the rising attrition this year, the post said.
According to the NATO report, around September 2009, more Afghan soldiers had been quitting than joining the army, but aggressive recruiting, salary increases and guarantees of regular leave had reversed that trend.
Afghan and coalition military officials said they believed they can expand the army to about 200,000 soldiers, despite the recent increase in desertions.
They, however, acknowledged that it will be important for Afghanistan to reduce the dropout rate as the number of US soldiers in the country begins to decline and as more of the security burden shifts toward the Afghan army. (ANI)
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