KABUL - On the eve of the first anniversary of the end of the NATO combat mission in Afghanistan, US officials said that they are not happy with the current situation, arguing that the Taliban has gained ground in the country.
US officials said the Taliban has seized many parts of Afghanistan in the past year – the most since their regime was toppled in 2001.
In addition, officials said Afghan casualties among security force members has surged by 26 percent this year.
According to US officials, at least 7,000 Afghan security force members have been killed between January 2015 and the beginning of December. In addition 12,000 of them have been wounded in the war against insurgents.
Afghan officials meanwhile expressed their concerns over an increasing threat from militants but said insurgents have not been able to reach their goals this past year.
"No doubt, threats have surged but militants have failed to reach their goals during this year," said Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry.
Afghan security officials also believe that the war on terror has become more complex and terrorists are better equipped than they were in the past.
"The reason behind the increase in war this year has been [Afghan] security forces have stepped into the shoes of hundreds of thousands of foreign troops and also the support for insurgents has increased from across the Durand Line," said Sediq Sediqqi, the Interior Ministry's spokesman.
Meanwhile, a number of Afghan MPs criticized the United States' decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.
"I think the world has not taken a good decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. This decision needs to be revised," said Farhad Azimi, an MP.
According to the Washington Post, the Taliban now control, or at least have a sizable presence, in roughly 30 percent of Afghanistan, the most since 2001.
However, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) rejects the report and said the Taliban is a threat to only a few parts of the country.
"I completely reject this. Taliban might be a threat in parts of Afghanistan. They have control of a few districts not lots of them," MoD spokesman said. (Tolonews)