A report in a prominent U.S. newspaper says U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan are developing a strategy that would tolerate limited corruption, but target large-scale abuses.
The Washington Post cites unnamed senior defense officials who believe the "most pressing threat" to stability in Afghanistan is the Taliban insurgency, not corruption.
The newspaper says the officials have concluded a sweeping effort to drive out corruption would create chaos, resulting in a governance vacuum the Taliban could exploit.
The Washington Post reports one defense official said that to reject leaders who "are not entirely pure" would be ineffective "in going after the primary threat, which is the Taliban."
The newspaper report said it is not immediately clear if the White House, the State Department and law enforcement agencies share the military officials' views.
U.S. lawmakers are blocking nearly $4 billion in civilian aid to Afghanistan over corruption concerns.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP.
