Afghan National Army soldiers keep watch at a checkpoint in Logar province, Afghanistan, Feb. 16, 2016. Afghan forces and U.S. airstrikes targeted ISIS fighters Tuesday. PHOTO: REUTERS/OMAR SOBHANI
Al Jazeera: Afghan forces lose ground as peace efforts continue: Report
Facing surge in attacks, US dramatically increased air attacks and dropped nearly 7,000 bombs in 2018.
The security forces continue to lose grip over parts of Afghanistan and the Taliban are steadily holding their own, despite an increase in the US air attacks against the armed group, a US watchdog agency has said.
The latest quarterly report by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) shows 53.8 percent of Afghanistan's 407 districts are with the government, covering 63.5 percent of the population by October 2018, with the rest of the country controlled or contested by the Taliban.
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WNU Editor: The U.S. Senate is sending the message that there will be no withdrawal .... Senate to vote on bill warning against "precipitous withdrawal" from Syria and Afghanistan (USA Today).