Sopko Expresses Optimism about Afghan Forces

The watchdog for US reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan said the responsiveness of US President Donald Trump administration has made him more optimistic than ever about the future of the Afghanistan’s security forces. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) Head John Sopko said in an interview Friday that he was upbeat about ongoing international efforts to help Afghanistan’s army and police force stand on their own. In an interview with Standard Express he said “Yeah, I’m positive; I’m more optimistic about it,” said John Sopko, who is visiting Kabul for 10 days. He acknowledged there’s still a long way to go before Afghan forces are self-sufficient, as they face “a tremendous number of problems,” one of the biggest being endemic corruption. It is reported that the main purpose of Sopko’s visit to the Afghan capital is to inspect a new anti-corruption strategy that President Ashraf Ghani’s government put forward at an international summit in Brussels last year.