WASHINGTON (AP) — As the Trump administration pushes for peace in Afghanistan, a U.S. watchdog report says Afghan security forces are shrinking, gaps in security are growing, and the Taliban are largely holding their own despite a surge in American bombing.
These trends reflect what U.S. military officials call a stalemated war, more than 17 years after U.S. forces invaded following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
A watchdog agency known as the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction finds battlefield momentum has changed little over the past year.
It said in a report Thursday that the Afghan government controls or influences 54 percent of districts, down from 56 percent a year earlier. It said the Taliban’s share slipped from 14 percent to 12 percent. Contested territory increased from 30 percent to 34 percent.
