(MENAFN- Pajhwok Afghan News) KABUL (Pajhwok): There are few signs of progress in implementation of President Donald Trump€™s strategy for Afghanistan, says an American government watchdog.
The Taliban and the Islamic State launched high-profile attacks in Kabul and other parts of the country that killed hundreds, said the inspector general€™s report for the last quarter.
Released by the Pentagon on Monday, the report tended to question US military assertions that momentum in the fight against the Taliban had shifted to Afghan security forces.
€œThe Taliban continued to hold territory and launched devastating terrorist attacks in Kabul and across the country,€ Glenn Fine, the deputy Pentagon inspector general wrote in an introductory note to the report.
Afghan security forces were improving, the report acknowledged. But they had made only minimal progress toward securing the population, the watchdog explained.
It added: €œMilitarily, the Afghan and US forces continued airstrikes and ground operations, but did not gain a significant amount of territory.€
On the diplomatic front, Pakistan did not take significant action to eliminate terrorist safe havens on its soil, despite the suspension of up to $2 billion in planned security aid.
US media outlets quoted Pentagon spokesman Col. Robert Manning as saying: €œChaos and progress can coexist and that is exactly what we feel is happening in Afghanistan.€
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