Afghanistan National Army (ANA) Chief of Staff Mohammad Sharif Yaftali said on Sunday in the Meshrano Jirga (Upper House of Parliament) that the United States will provide 1,514 Humvees to the ANA in the next year. 

Defense and interior ministry officials were reporting on their plans for the winter. Yaftali said the US is continuing to equip the Afghan National Army. 

“In the next year 1,514 Humvees will be handed over to the ANA; our commando units are improving, and all the ANA centers are full,” said Yaftali. 

Yaftali’s remarks come in the wake of questions having been raised recently over the number of military vehicles, especially Humvees,that have been seized by the Taliban. The insurgent group has seized the vehicles during coordinated attacks on check posts and regions in the past few months and also in late 2015 during the fall of Kunduz city.

However, the defense ministry has until now failed to disclose the number of vehicles stolen.

As winter fast approaches, which usually means less fighting on the part of the Taliban, security forces are still seriously concerned about the rise in insecurity.

“Changes in the war strategy and reviewing of the security and defense strategies is one of the priorities that should be considered,” Mohammad Alam Ezadyar, first deputy speaker of the senate said. 

The interior ministry’s senior deputy minister General Murad Ali Murad meanwhile told the senate they have plans to prevent insurgent attacks in winter, but said police forces are not as well equipped as they should be. 

“You know that 135,000 police force members still use Kalashnikovs and this has created serious problems for the police,” said Murad. 

According to the defense ministry, in August they were fighting insurgents in over 122 districts – but as the weather deteriorates, the battles have dropped and fighting is currently underway in 88 districts.