LONDON, June 7 A US government audit due out this month will cast doubt on the efforts to build up the Afghan security forces, saying their abilities have been overrated, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Monday. It will say the standards used to appraise the Afghan military and police from 2005 until recently were “woefully inadequate”, the British business daily said, citing the audit.

The old rating system measured forces on factors such as equipment and training rather than anything more accurately reflecting their fighting abilities, the audit will say, according to the FT. “It became clear to us that the assessment wasnt giving a clear picture of the actual operational readiness of Afghan National Security Forces,” said Colonel Dennis Devery, deputy director of the ANSF assistance bureau.

The report, from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, looked at the surge in Afghan army units considered “fully capable” for combat.—AFP