Countries with troops in Afghanistan have pledged roughly $1 billion to help bankroll Afghan security forces once most Nato troops withdraw by the end of 2014, on top of funds promised by the United States, a Western official said yesterday.

The financial commitments in the “billion dollar range” represent “major progress” towards a goal of $1.3 billion from nations in the Nato-led coalition in Afghanistan, the Western official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

“A few months ago, the piggy bank wasn’t expected to be this full,” the official said, as Nato held a summit in Chicago focused largely on the Afghanistan war.

The US estimates $4.1 billion is needed to fund the Afghan army and police between 2015 and 2017, after the departure of Nato combat troops.

The Afghan government is supposed to contribute $500 million from its meager budget, but will not be able to cover the projected costs of the security forces for years. The total cost of financing the Afghan forces is equivalent to a quarter of the country’s GDP.

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