The Kabul government is steadily losing its grip over parts of Afghanistan even as American forces intensify their air campaign against insurgent groups, a US government watchdog said Thursday.

The latest grim assessment of Afghanistan's security situation comes as the US pursues talks with the Taliban and urgently seeks a way out of the 17-year war.

Numbers provided by Resolute Support, the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, show that as of October 31, only 63.5 per cent of Afghans are living in areas controlled or influenced by the Kabul government -- down from 65.2 per cent the previous quarter.

According to the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which compiled the data, the decrease came as Kabul's control or influence over Afghan districts dropped.

SIGAR said just 53.8 per cent of Afghanistan's 407 districts are in government hands, and experts on Afghanistan say the number is lower still.

Instead of looking at population metrics, the Pentagon in a response to SIGAR said it is more important to "focus on the principal goal of the strategy of concluding the war in Afghanistan on terms favourable to Afghanistan and the United States."

Officials pointed to ongoing talks between the Taliban and US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who this week said he had sealed the outlines of a peace deal.

Unsustainable losses 

Highlighting the ongoing security crisis, SIGAR said the US has dramatically increased air strikes, dropping 6,823 bombs in the first 11 months of 2018.&nbsp;

The "figure was already 56 per cent higher than the total number of munitions released in 2017 (4,361), and is more than five times the total in 2016," SIGAR said in its report.

Meanwhile, the strength of Afghan security forces has continued to dwindle, and currently stands at 308,693 personnel. That means only 87.7 per cent of positions are filled, the lowest level since January 2015.

Afghan forces have suffered staggering losses since they assumed responsibility for their country's security four years ago.

President Ashraf Ghani last week said 45,000 security forces have been killed since he took office in September 2014.&nbsp;

NATO combat forces pulled out at the end of that year, and observers say the losses may not be sustainable.

Surrender?

Officials say President Donald Trump has decided to pull half of America's forces from Afghanistan. The Pentagon insisted the numbers in SIGAR's report do not necessarily reflect poorly on his strategy to find an end to the conflict.

"Measures of population control are not indicative of effectiveness of the South Asia strategy or of progress toward security and stability in Afghanistan," the Pentagon said, according to SIGAR.

Khalilzad has provided few specifics about a potential deal with the Taliban, but the militants are believed to have promised not to provide shelter again to foreign extremists.

However, the Taliban have so far refused another key US demand -- that they talk to the internationally recognized government in Kabul, which the insurgents view as American "puppets."

Ghani has warned against rushing into a deal, citing violence following the Soviet withdrawal in 1989.

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Tuesday that he saw "some very encouraging possibilities" in Khalilzad's negotiations. 
"But we need to give them time and space," Shanahan said.

Ryan Crocker, a former US ambassador to multiple nations including Afghanistan, said in an opinion piece in The Washington Post that US negotiations with the Taliban are akin to "surrender."

"The Taliban will offer any number of commitments, knowing that when we are gone and the Taliban is back, we will have no means of enforcing any of them," Crocker wrote.

The Kabul government is steadily losing its grip over parts of Afghanistan even as American forces intensify their air campaign against insurgent groups, a US government watchdog said Thursday.

The Kabul government is steadily losing its grip over parts of Afghanistan even as American forces intensify their air campaign against insurgent groups, a US government watchdog said Thursday. The latest grim assessment of Afghanistan's security situation comes as the US pursues talks with the Taliban and urgently seeks a way out of the 17-year war. Numbers provided by Resolute Support, the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, show that as of October 31, only 63.5 per cent of Afghans are living in areas controlled or influenced by the Kabul government -- down from 65.2 per cent the previous quarter. According to the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which compiled the data, the decrease came as Kabul's control or influence over Afghan districts dropped. SIGAR said just 53.8 per cent of Afghanistan's 407 districts are in government hands, and experts on Afghanistan say the number is lower still. Instead of looking at population metrics, the Pentagon in a response to SIGAR said it is more important to "focus on the principal goal of the strategy of concluding the war in Afghanistan on terms favourable to Afghanistan and the United States." Officials pointed to ongoing talks between the Taliban and US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who this week said he had sealed the outlines of a peace deal. Unsustainable losses Highlighting the ongoing security crisis, SIGAR said the US has dramatically increased air strikes, dropping 6,823 bombs in the first 11 months of 2018. The "figure was already 56 per cent higher than the total number of munitions released in 2017 (4,361), and is more than five times the total in 2016," SIGAR said in its report. Meanwhile, the strength of Afghan security forces has continued to dwindle, and currently stands at 308,693 personnel. That means only 87.7 per cent of positions are filled, the lowest level since January 2015. Afghan forces have suffered staggering losses since they assumed responsibility for their country's security four years ago. President Ashraf Ghani last week said 45,000 security forces have been killed since he took office in September 2014. NATO combat forces pulled out at the end of that year, and observers say the losses may not be sustainable. Surrender? Officials say President Donald Trump has decided to pull half of America's forces from Afghanistan. The Pentagon insisted the numbers in SIGAR's report do not necessarily reflect poorly on his strategy to find an end to the conflict. "Measures of population control are not indicative of effectiveness of the South Asia strategy or of progress toward security and stability in Afghanistan," the Pentagon said, according to SIGAR. Khalilzad has provided few specifics about a potential deal with the Taliban, but the militants are believed to have promised not to provide shelter again to foreign extremists. However, the Taliban have so far refused another key US demand -- that they talk to the internationally recognized government in Kabul, which the insurgents view as American "puppets." Ghani has warned against rushing into a deal, citing violence following the Soviet withdrawal in 1989. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Tuesday that he saw "some very encouraging possibilities" in Khalilzad's negotiations. "But we need to give them time and space," Shanahan said. Ryan Crocker, a former US ambassador to multiple nations including Afghanistan, said in an opinion piece in The Washington Post that US negotiations with the Taliban are akin to "surrender." "The Taliban will offer any number of commitments, knowing that when we are gone and the Taliban is back, we will have no means of enforcing any of them," Crocker wrote.

Kabul control slips in Afghanistan amid US talks with Taliban

The Afghan Taliban rejected reports in the Pakistani media that they were prepared to resume meetings with <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/us-envoy-on-afghanistan-arrives-in-pakistan-for-talks-191047">US special envoy</a> Zalmay Khalilzad in Islamabad and repeated their refusal to deal directly with the Afghan government.

Pakistani newspapers and television stations reported that a meeting in Islamabad was in prospect following discussions between Khalilzad and Pakistani officials including Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday.&nbsp;

Senior Taliban leaders said that regional powers including Pakistan had approached them and wanted them to meet the US delegation in Islamabad and also include the Afghan government in the peace process but that the approaches had been rejected.

"We wanted to make it clear that we will not hold any meeting with Zalmay Khalilzad in Islamabad," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid in a statement. 
Talks between the two sides have stalled after the Taliban accused Khalilzad of straying from the agreed agenda and there is no clarity on when they may resume.&nbsp;

"We have made it clear again and again that we would never hold any meeting with the Afghan government as we know that they are not capable of addressing our demands," said one senior Taliban leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The United States says any settlement in Afghanistan must be between the internationally recognised Afghan government and the Taliban, who have so far refused to talk to an administration they describe as an illegitimate puppet regime.

The Taliban leader said peace talks with the US delegation could resume if they were assured that only three issues would be discussed - a US withdrawal from Afghanistan, an exchange of prisoners and lifting a ban on the movement of Taliban leaders.

Khalilzad arrived in Islamabad on Thursday and met Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan as well as the Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other officials.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"The two sides reviewed developments post Abu Dhabi, in order to take the Afghan peace process forward," a foreign office statement said. An Afghan Taliban delegation had a round of talks last month with US officials in Abu Dhabi.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The statement didn`t give any further details on the talks, but several local TV channels reported that Pakistan agreed to host the next round of talks between the Afghan Taliban and the United States in Islamabad.&nbsp;

Khalilzad, an Afghan-born veteran US diplomat who served as George W. Bush`s ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations, was named by the Trump administration four months ago as a special envoy to negotiate peace.

Washington has long been pushing Islamabad to lean on Taliban leaders, who it says are based in Pakistan, to bring them to the negotiating table.

It often accuses the south Asian nation of covertly sheltering Taliban leaders, an accusation Islamabad vehemently denies.

The United States, which had more than 100,000 troops in Afghanistan at its peak during the first term of former President Barack Obama, withdrew most of them in 2014 but still keeps around 14,000 there.

The Afghan Taliban rejected reports in the Pakistani media that they were prepared to resume meetings with US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Islamabad and repeated their refusal to deal directly with the Afghan government.

The Afghan Taliban rejected reports in the Pakistani media that they were prepared to resume meetings with US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Islamabad and repeated their refusal to deal directly with the Afghan government. Pakistani newspapers and television stations reported that a meeting in Islamabad was in prospect following discussions between Khalilzad and Pakistani officials including Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday. Senior Taliban leaders said that regional powers including Pakistan had approached them and wanted them to meet the US delegation in Islamabad and also include the Afghan government in the peace process but that the approaches had been rejected. "We wanted to make it clear that we will not hold any meeting with Zalmay Khalilzad in Islamabad," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid in a statement. Talks between the two sides have stalled after the Taliban accused Khalilzad of straying from the agreed agenda and there is no clarity on when they may resume. "We have made it clear again and again that we would never hold any meeting with the Afghan government as we know that they are not capable of addressing our demands," said one senior Taliban leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The United States says any settlement in Afghanistan must be between the internationally recognised Afghan government and the Taliban, who have so far refused to talk to an administration they describe as an illegitimate puppet regime. The Taliban leader said peace talks with the US delegation could resume if they were assured that only three issues would be discussed - a US withdrawal from Afghanistan, an exchange of prisoners and lifting a ban on the movement of Taliban leaders. Khalilzad arrived in Islamabad on Thursday and met Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan as well as the Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other officials. "The two sides reviewed developments post Abu Dhabi, in order to take the Afghan peace process forward," a foreign office statement said. An Afghan Taliban delegation had a round of talks last month with US officials in Abu Dhabi. The statement didn`t give any further details on the talks, but several local TV channels reported that Pakistan agreed to host the next round of talks between the Afghan Taliban and the United States in Islamabad. Khalilzad, an Afghan-born veteran US diplomat who served as George W. Bush`s ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations, was named by the Trump administration four months ago as a special envoy to negotiate peace. Washington has long been pushing Islamabad to lean on Taliban leaders, who it says are based in Pakistan, to bring them to the negotiating table. It often accuses the south Asian nation of covertly sheltering Taliban leaders, an accusation Islamabad vehemently denies. The United States, which had more than 100,000 troops in Afghanistan at its peak during the first term of former President Barack Obama, withdrew most of them in 2014 but still keeps around 14,000 there.

Won't hold any meeting with American envoy in Islamabad: Afghan Taliban reject peace talks with US

A top Taliban commander held in Pakistani detention for more than eight years has been freed, sources said Thursday, in an apparent move to aid tentative talks between the United States and the militant group.

The release of Abdul Ghani Baradar -- the former right-hand man of Taliban founder Mullah Omar, who died in 2013 -- came less than two weeks after US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met with the group's representatives in Qatar to discuss ending the Afghan conflict.

Baradar was among several senior Taliban leaders freed this week, after the Taliban demanded their release in direct talks with Khalilzad on October 12, a senior Taliban leader told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

"We believe that they were released at the US's request," the leader said.

He said Baradar would likely stay in Pakistan and shuttle between the Taliban's Doha office, Kabul and Islamabad.

"It was important for confidence building and all three will participate in the next round of talks with the US in Qatar," he added.

Baradar was the most high-profile Afghan Taliban leader detained by Pakistan since the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

He was arrested in the southern port city of Karachi in 2010, reportedly in an operation that was described as a huge blow to the militant group, which ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001 when it was toppled by a US-led invasion.

It was not clear what role, if any, he would play in peace talks.

"Baradar was freed yesterday afternoon and he joined his family," Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP in a WhatsApp message.

A Pakistani intelligence official also said Baradar was "released a couple of days ago".

Baradar's release comes after the recent election of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has long advocated talks with the Taliban and other Islamist insurgents in the region to bring an end to years of fighting.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi earlier this month also pledged to support negotiations with the Taliban as the country lobbies the United States to restore military aid.

The United States has long pressed Pakistan to crack down on the Taliban and other militant groups, which Washington says have safe havens in Pakistan's border areas and links to its shadowy military establishment -- charges Islamabad has repeatedly denied.

Khalilzad met with Taliban representatives in Doha as part of a regional trip designed to coordinate efforts to convince the group to negotiate an end to the war.&nbsp;

A top Taliban commander held in Pakistani detention for more than eight years has been freed, sources said Thursday, in an apparent move to aid tentative talks between the United States and the militant group.

A top Taliban commander held in Pakistani detention for more than eight years has been freed, sources said Thursday, in an apparent move to aid tentative talks between the United States and the militant group. The release of Abdul Ghani Baradar -- the former right-hand man of Taliban founder Mullah Omar, who died in 2013 -- came less than two weeks after US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met with the group's representatives in Qatar to discuss ending the Afghan conflict. Baradar was among several senior Taliban leaders freed this week, after the Taliban demanded their release in direct talks with Khalilzad on October 12, a senior Taliban leader told AFP on the condition of anonymity. "We believe that they were released at the US's request," the leader said. He said Baradar would likely stay in Pakistan and shuttle between the Taliban's Doha office, Kabul and Islamabad. "It was important for confidence building and all three will participate in the next round of talks with the US in Qatar," he added. Baradar was the most high-profile Afghan Taliban leader detained by Pakistan since the 9/11 attacks in 2001. He was arrested in the southern port city of Karachi in 2010, reportedly in an operation that was described as a huge blow to the militant group, which ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001 when it was toppled by a US-led invasion. It was not clear what role, if any, he would play in peace talks. "Baradar was freed yesterday afternoon and he joined his family," Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP in a WhatsApp message. A Pakistani intelligence official also said Baradar was "released a couple of days ago". Baradar's release comes after the recent election of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has long advocated talks with the Taliban and other Islamist insurgents in the region to bring an end to years of fighting. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi earlier this month also pledged to support negotiations with the Taliban as the country lobbies the United States to restore military aid. The United States has long pressed Pakistan to crack down on the Taliban and other militant groups, which Washington says have safe havens in Pakistan's border areas and links to its shadowy military establishment -- charges Islamabad has repeatedly denied. Khalilzad met with Taliban representatives in Doha as part of a regional trip designed to coordinate efforts to convince the group to negotiate an end to the war.

Pakistan frees Taliban leader after US talks with militants

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Kabul control slips in Afghanistan amid US talks with Taliban

Won't hold any meeting with American envoy in Islamabad: Afghan Taliban reject peace talks with US

Pakistan frees Taliban leader after US talks with militants