Insider attacks against Afghan army surged this year: Report

Attacks by Taliban and from infiltrators surged by 37 and 82 percent, respectively, in first quarter, US watchdog says.

Deadly attacks against the Afghan army have surged in the first quarter of the year with insider attacks increasing by 82 percent, as US and NATO troops begin to withdraw from the country after 20 years, according to a US watchdog. In a quarterly report published on Friday, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that attacks on Afghan security forces, mainly by the Taliban rebel group, surged 37 percent over the January-March period from a year earlier. The insider attacks – meaning when security forces are targeted by Taliban infiltrators within their ranks – jumped 82 percent, and casualties from them doubled, read the report without specifying.