Ghazni police chief Fareed Mashall has reported that up to 1,100 ghost soldiers exist in the structure of the national police force in the province.



Mashall who was recently sworn in as Ghazni police chief said that the salaries allocated to the 1,100 ghost soldiers have been embezzled.



“There has been poor leadership, we had a lot of ghost police, until now I have found 1,100 of them, the salaries of these 1,100 soldiers has been embezzled,” said Mashall.



“I can’t confirm the extent, but in some districts and remote regions, the problem still exists,” said MoI spokesman Najib Danish.



Ghazni has been the scene of deadly battles between the Afghan security forces and the Taliban over the past few years.



“They committed corruption and theft of the salaries and equipment and pushed the security situation in Ghazni to a fragile state,” said Naseer Faqiri, a member of Ghazni provincial council.



“They believe that there are a lot more soldiers at the security check points, but when attacks happen, there are only a few police who can resist the offensives,” said MP Fatima Nazari.



Of the nine administrative units in Ghazni, only Nahor, Jaghori and Malistan districts are safe. Battles are ongoing in other districts.



A few weeks ago the Taliban launched fresh attacks on several villages in the province and the violence reportedly reached the outskirts of the provincial capital.