Defense minister Tariq Shah Bahrami on Monday said the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) have thwarted over 1,700 operations by the Taliban since the group announced its spring offensive 'Al Khandaq' last month.
 
He said, since then the group has launched over 2,600 operations across the country, from which the security forces have foiled 1,700 operations.
 
Regional countries are involved in funding and equipping the Taliban, he said.
 
On Monday, Afghan minister of defense Tariq Shah Bahrami, minister of interior Wais Ahmad Barmak and Masoom Stanekzai, chairman of National Directorate of Security (NDS) were summoned to parliament to brief lawmakers in the house about preparations of the security forces in the wake of Taliban’s spring offensive and the deteriorating security situation.
 
Addressing the lawmakers, Barmak said the rivalry between the regional countries towards the war in Afghanistan has been injecting more strength to the Taliban.
 
He said, “(They are) disrupting the situation in Afghanistan and the democratic process, and then say Afghanistan has failed."
 
“The scale of facilities available to me as minister of defense does not meet the scale of threats,” Bahrami said.
 
And Stanekzai added, “Today we are involved in defending our country, we are facing clear foreign aggression."
 
Meanwhile, a number of lawmakers criticized the use of army helicopters by some candidates for the election campaign.
 
“Minister's salaries have not been paid in at least 12 border districts, because there is a need for choppers to send their salaries, but there are no planes available for the transfers. But, over the past three days, the defense minister has provided ministry’s air craft to lawmakers for personal gain,” said one MP, Fawzia Kofi.
 
According to NDS chief, currently security institutions are facing a shortage of thousands of soldiers.

He called on the public to cooperate alongside the armed forces in defense of the country.