Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
January 25, 2016
A U.S. military official says Afghan forces fighting the Taliban in southern Helmand Province are being “rebuilt,” with key commanders being replaced.
U.S. Army Brigadier General Wilson Shoffner said the reasons for the changes in the 215 Maiwand Corps in Helmand “are a combination of incompetence, corruption, and ineffectiveness.”
Speaking to AP on January 25, he said the corps’ commander had been replaced, along with “some brigade commanders and some key corps staff up to full colonel level.”
The Afghan Defense Ministry confirmed the changes.
Helmand Province has been a fierce battleground in recent months.
On January 20, an Afghan official said national troops were fighting the Taliban across most of Helmand Province and were in desperate need of reinforcements.
Government forces are also facing serious challenges in Helmand’s capital, Lashkar Gah, said General Abdul Rahman Sarjang, the provincial police chief.