Control of weapons faulted

Tens of thousands of assault rifles and other arms in Afghanistan are at risk of being stolen because U.S. officials have lost track of them, according to a congressionally ordered audit that warns that some weapons may already be in Taliban hands.

The Government Accountability Office found that inventory controls were lacking for more than a third of the 242,000 light weapons the U.S. donated to Afghan forces -- including AK-47s, mortars, machine guns and grenade launchers.

Records were also inadequate for 135,000 weapons donated by other NATO countries, the report says.