Taliban Surge Poses "Existential Crisis" For Afghan Government: US Watchdog

Afghanistan: The report said Taliban attacks surged from 6,700 in the three months up to the Doha agreement to 13,242 in the September-November 2020.

The Afghan government faces an "existential crisis" after the Taliban doubled their attacks following the February 2020 US deal with the insurgents, a watchdog report said Thursday. The report said Taliban attacks on Afghan targets surged from 6,700 in the three months up to the Doha agreement to 13,242 in the September-November 2020 period. Attacks have stayed above 10,000 in each subsequent three-month period, according to the report by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). While the rise in attacks had long been clear, data had not previously been available to demonstrate how intense the rebels' offensive had become.