WASHINGTON: Kabul´s control of Afghanistan slipped in recent months aslocal security forces suffered record-level casualties while making minimalor no progress against the Taliban, a US government watchdog said Thursday.
The latest glimpse into Afghanistan´s security crisis highlights persistentproblems among police and army units who have faced years of devastatinglosses, and shows the Taliban´s resilience 17 years after the US-ledinvasion.
Numbers provided by Resolute Support, the US-led NATO mission inAfghanistan, show that during the last quarter, the Afghan governmentcontrolled or influenced 226 of the country´s 407 districts — or 55.5percent.
According to the US Special Inspector General for AfghanistanReconstruction (SIGAR), which compiled the data, the figure marks a slightdrop (0.7 percent) over the previous quarter.
It is the lowest level since SIGAR began tracking district control inNovember 2015.
Of the remaining districts, SIGAR assessed that 49 were under insurgentcontrol or influence (12 percent).
The balance — 132 districts — are considered “contested” between theKabul government and the Taliban or other insurgent groups.
In terms of the Afghan population itself, Kabul controls or influences 65.2percent, the same amount as a year ago.Insider attack
General John Nicholson, who is now retired but at the time was head ofResolute Support, said in November 2017 that the Afghan security forceswould expand control of the population to 80 percent over the next twoyears.
Bill Roggio, an Afghanistan expert and senior fellow at the Foundation forDefense of Democracies, told AFP such a scenario is unlikely.Map of Afghanistan
“Barring a dramatic turnaround by Afghan security forces and the USre-committing itself to improving the security situation, I do not see howthat is possible,” he told AFP.
Roggio, who runs a website called Long War Journal, co-wrote a piece inwhich he assessed that more than half the Afghan population now livesoutside of government control.
Underscoring the security weaknesses, powerful police chief General AbdulRaziq was among three people killed in a brazen insider attack on ahigh-level security meeting this month in Kandahar.
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The meeting was also attended by General Scott Miller, the top US and NATOcommander in Afghanistan.
He escaped unhurt, but US Brigadier General Jeffrey Smiley was among 13people wounded in the shooting, which the Taliban said had targeted Millerand Raziq.
President Donald Trump launched a revamped Afghan plan more than a year agothat saw the US scrap any timetables for a US pullout and re-committhousands more troops to Afghanistan, most of them dedicated to trainingand advising local forces.
Data for casualties suffered by Afghan security forces are not available tothe public after Washington last year agreed to Kabul´s request to classifythe numbers.
Before the blackout, according to figures published by SIGAR, there weremore than 5,000 each year.
In its latest report, SIGAR cited Resolute Support as saying this summer´stoll has been worse than ever.
“From the period of May 1 to the most current data as of October 1, 2018,the average number of casualties the (Afghan forces) suffered is thegreatest it has ever been during like periods,” Resolute Support said,according to SIGAR.
Mattis this week said more than 1,000 “Afghan lads” were killed or woundedjust in August and September.
SIGAR added that data show the Afghan forces “made minimal or no progressin pressuring the Taliban over the quarter.”
The report does however highlight “some successes” in counter-terrorismoperations against the Daesh group´s affiliate in Afghanistan, including inAugust when 250 militants surrendered to Afghan security forces in Jowzjanprovince. – APP/AFP
