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SIGAR: Number of Afghan Defense Forces Continues to Decline
The strength of the embattled Afghan defense forces has declined to its lowest level in four years, a U.S. watchdog said on Thursday.
The latest quarterly report by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) noted that the control of Afghanistan’s territory and population “became somewhat more contested (and) Afghan government control or influence continued to decline”.
It put districts under government control or influence at 53.8 percent covering 63.5 percent of the population by October 2018, with the rest of the country controlled or contested by the Taliban.
The hardline Islamist group has been unable to seize a major Afghan city but has stepped up pressure in rural areas and is now more powerful than any at other time since they were toppled by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in late 2001.
SIGAR cited a U.S. Forces-Afghanistan report that the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces had decreased to 308,693 troops, or 87.7 per cent of its assigned strength, the lowest since the creation of NATO’s operation to train, advise and assist Afghans in January 2015.
The United States has some 14,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission and a separate counter-terrorism effort largely directed at groups such as al Qaeda and Islamic State.
Some 8,000 troops from 38 other countries also participate in Resolute Support.
The report did not detail the reasons for the decreasing numbers and the Afghan government does not publish casualty figures. However, security analysts say that re-enlistment and unauthorized absences remain major problems.
President Ashraf Ghani said in Switzerland last week 45,000 members of the Afghan security forces had been killed since he took office in 2014, a figure analysts said helped explain morale problems.
“That number indicates that in those roughly 53 months, around 849 Afghan security personnel have been killed per month on average,” SIGAR said.
SIGAR also released figures suggesting the recruitment and retention of women in the national defense and security forces was a significant challenge.
Citing information declassified by U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, SIGAR said Afghan forces had 4,735 female personnel – less than 2 percent of current assigned strength.
With Inputs from Reuters.
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Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan boost trade and digital finance ties
Minister Sydykov, in turn, pledged the continuation of Kyrgyzstan’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and highlighted his country’s interest in working together on e-governance initiatives.
Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, Abdul Salam Hanafi, has met with a high-level Kyrgyz delegation led by Minister of Economy and Commerce Bakhyt Sydykov to discuss expanding bilateral trade and strengthening cooperation in digital financial services.
During the meeting, Hanafi reaffirmed Afghanistan’s readiness to deepen ties with Kyrgyzstan, stressing the importance of developing electronic administration systems and modern banking channels to facilitate trade and financial transactions between the two countries.
Minister Sydykov, in turn, pledged the continuation of Kyrgyzstan’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and highlighted his country’s interest in working together on e-governance initiatives. He also pointed to potential cooperation in areas such as the printing of securities and the development of electronic payment systems.
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India reaffirms healthcare support to Afghanistan, hands over medicines and vaccines
Indian officials said the support underscores New Delhi’s commitment to helping improve healthcare services and access to life-saving treatment in Afghanistan.
India has reaffirmed its commitment to continued humanitarian assistance and healthcare cooperation with Afghanistan, with a focus on the long-term supply of essential medicines.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of India, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda held a productive meeting with Afghanistan’s Minister of Public Health, Noor Jalal Jalali. The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in the health sector and addressing the medical needs of the Afghan people.
During the meeting, a symbolic handover of cancer medicines and vaccines was carried out, reflecting India’s ongoing support for Afghanistan’s healthcare system. The ministry also announced that a larger consignment of medicines, vaccines, and a 128-slice CT scanner is being dispatched to Afghanistan as part of India’s humanitarian assistance efforts.
Indian officials said the support underscores New Delhi’s commitment to helping improve healthcare services and access to life-saving treatment in Afghanistan.
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Afghan forces target hideout of suspects linked to cross-border attacks on Chinese nationals
Afghan forces target hideout of suspects linked to cross-border attacks on Chinese nationals
Security sources said that special forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) have targeted a hideout in Badakhshan province linked to suspects involved in attacks against Chinese nationals in neighboring Tajikistan.
According to the sources, the operation was carried out on Tuesday night in Faizabad city, where several individuals suspected of orchestrating cross-border attacks from Badakhshan’s frontier regions were believed to be present. As a result of the operation, one wanted suspect was arrested alive along with weapons and other military equipment.
The sources added that preliminary investigations and initial confessions by the detainee indicate the planning of the attacks was carried out from outside Afghanistan.
This comes as Tajikistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on November 27 that three Chinese citizens were killed in an attack in Khatlon province.
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