Taliban control more territory than ever before after the fall of their regime

AFGHANISTAN: Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) in its new report to the United States Congress has written that Afghanistan proved even more dangerous than it was a year ago.

The report further states that a year after the Coalition handed responsibility for Afghan security to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), American and British forces were compelled on several occasions to support ANDSF troops in combat against the Taliban that now controls more territory than at any time since 2001.

The estimates have the Taliban in control of about 30% of the country, though the amount of times districts change hand means that there is a lot of “disputed” territory at any given time, and the exact numbers are very fluid.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the author of the quarterly report, cited tens of billions of dollars in waste and a general lack of security, warning the situation in Afghanistan is worsening by most metrics.

It cites a UN report that the presence of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant Khorasan (ISIL-K) remains a concern, particularly in Nangarhar Province, where the group is planning to establish a regional base and stay for longer.

Some political analyzers believe that Daesh would be the new challenge to the government if the ongoing peace talks with Taliban succeed and the group lay downs guns. -KP