Fighting has intensified in Afghanistan in recent months, with US Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) describing the number of enemy-initiated attacks (EIAs) registered between 1 July and 30 September as âabove seasonal normsâ, according to a report by US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko.
Released on 5 November, the SIGARâs latest quarterly report cited USFOR-A as saying that âaverage daily enemy-initiated attacks in Afghanistan were 50% higher this quarter (JulyâSeptember) than last quarter (AprilâJune)â, but provided no further details, given that the NATO-led âResolute Supportâ (âRSâ) mission has been ârestricting from public releaseâ data on EIAs and effective enemy-initiated attacks (EEIAs) since the beginning of the year.
The SIGAR quoted the US Department of Defense (DoD) as saying that the Taliban, who have been engaging in peace talks with the Afghan government since 12 September, are âcalibratingâ their use of violence to âharass and undermineâ both the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) and the government in Kabul.
At the same time the violence remains at a level the Taliban perceive is âwithin the bounds of the [29 February US-Taliban conditions-based] agreement, probably to encourage a US troop withdrawal and set favorable conditions for a post-withdrawal Afghanistanâ, according to the Pentagon.
Afghan security forces inspect the scene of a car bomb explosion in Kabul on 27 October that resulted in at least three people being killed and 13 others wounded. The level of violence in Afghanistan remains high, despite ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government. (Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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