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KABUL (SW): The U.S government's Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has noted the numbers of the Afghan security forces are decreasing, while both casualties and the number of districts under insurgent control or influence are increasing.
In a report to the US Congress, shared with the media, SIGAR stated that the U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) has reported that approximately 57.2% of the country’s 407 districts are under Afghan government control or influence as of November 15, 2016, a 6.2% decrease from the 63.4% reported last quarter in late August, and a nearly 15% decrease since November 2015.
According to the report, 6,785 Afghan security force members were killed between January 1 and November 12 last year, with another 11,777 wounded. This represents 35 per cent rise to the same period a year before.
It quoted the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stating that 8,397 conflict-related civilian casualties occurred between January 1 and September 30, 2016. UNAMA reported a 67% increase in the number of casualties caused by unexploded ordnance; 84% of the 510 casualties were children.
According to the UN, 583,000 people in Afghanistan fled their homes due to conflict in 2016 — the highest number of displacements since record keeping started in 2008.
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