MONITORING (SW) – Afghanistan will probably continue to grapple with multiple violent, extremist organizations, regardless of whether a peace settlement is reached between the government in Kabul and the Taliban militant group, the US Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said in a report.
The 66 page-long ‘High-Risk List’ report assesses major high-risk areas that are likely to affect reconstruction efforts in the Central Asian country in the coming years. In the report, SIGAR John Sopko points to a host of issues likely to affect the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces’ (ANDSFs’) ability to effectively counter these threats, including capability and sustainability challenges, high casualty and attrition rates, the growing threat posed by other militant groups such as Islamic State, and a heavy reliance on foreign donor support.
"A peace agreement would be welcomed by the long-suffering Afghan people," John Sopko, the head of SIGAR, said in Washington, DC. "But it could bring its own challenges to sustaining what the United States, coalition partners and the Afghan government have achieved."
The report said other points of concern include widespread insecurity, underdeveloped civil policing capability, endemic corruption, sluggish economy, a burgeoning illicit opium trade and threats to women's rights.
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