Afghanistan's ex-finance minister has blamed the government's fall on corrupt officials who invented "ghost soldiers" and took payments from the Taliban. Khalid Payenda told the BBC that most of the 300,000 troops and police on the government's books did not exist. He said phantom personnel were added to official lists so that generals could pocket their wages. The Taliban rapidly seized control of Afghanistan in August, as US forces withdrew after 20 years in the country. Mr Payenda, who resigned and left Afghanistan as the Islamist group advanced, said records showing that security forces greatly outnumbered the Taliban were incorrect....