Afghan soldiers train under the supervision of British troops at Ghar Ordoo military base, on May 26, 2010 in Herat province west of Kabul, Afghanistan. UPI/Hossein Fatemi | License Photo

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. assistance to the Afghan army and police will be cut by more than half before the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops in 2014, the Pentagon said.

The move means Afghanistan will have to settle for a no-frills security force to battle the Taliban-led insurgency after American troops pull out, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.


In actual dollars, the reductions will shrink annual U.S. expenditures for Afghan security forces from nearly $13 billion to well below $6 billion over three years.

Maj. Gen. Peter Fuller, the deputy commander of the U.S.-led command, said the reduced assistance would still provide what a good Afghan force needs.

"We realized we were starting to build an army based on Western army standards, and we realized they don't need that capability," he said.

Among the "extras" that won't be funded are such things as air conditioning and car radios.