U.S. watchdog questions money spent on Afghan 'ghost' soldiers

Afghan security forces patrol at the Kunduz, Afghanistan April 30, 2015. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

KABUL (Reuters) - A U.S. government watchdog is pressing the Pentagon to explain reports of tens of thousands of "ghost" soldiers and police on the payrolls of the Afghan security forces, which are heavily funded by international donors.

The U.S. government has allocated more than $68 billion (54.59 billion pounds) since 2002 to help support Afghan security forces battling Taliban insurgents and other militants. The United States and its NATO allies pledged earlier this year to provide around $5 billion per year until at least 2020 for the army and police.