U.S. drones occasionally violate Afghan airspace: Afghan army chief

KABUL, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Afghan Chief of Army Staff Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat has accused the United States of violating Afghanistan's airspace, saying that Washington's pilotless planes occasionally enter Afghanistan's airspace.

"American drones occasionally fly over Afghanistan's airspace. Drones occasionally patrol, and Afghanistan's airspace is still occupied by the Americans," the local media outlet Tolonews quoted Fitrat as saying on Wednesday.

Blaming "one of neighboring countries" for allowing the U.S. to operate pilotless planes from its territory over Afghan airspace, the Afghan army chief did not identify the name of the country.

U.S.-led forces left Afghanistan in August 2021, ending a 20-year military occupation of the country.

Fitrat also counted the strength of Afghan armed forces as high as 500,000, saying that the number includes army, police and intelligence personnel.

The Afghan caretaker government currently has a 172,000-strong national army, Fitrat said, adding that efforts are underway to boost the strength of the national army up to 200,000.