Pentagon says violence is on rise in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — Violence in Afghanistan is on the rise, according to a new Pentagon report to Congress that says the Taliban has been emboldened by the reduced U.S. military role there.

The number of effective insurgent attacks rose this year, causing increased casualties among Afghan security forces, the report said. While Afghan forces have demonstrated a will to fight and to learn from their battlefield mistakes, the report said, the Taliban’s resilience has endangered security in key areas.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters that it was “probably the most depressing assessment” of the direction in which the country is headed that he has heard in a “long, long time.”

The Pentagon report also said the Taliban-led insurgency has been emboldened by the U.S. transition from direct combat operations to a train-and-advise role.

“As a result, the Taliban will continue to test the (Afghan forces) aggressively in 2016,” it said.

The U.S. now has about 9,800 troops in Afghanistan, some of which are involved in counterterrorism missions.

In October, President Barack Obama announced that he would keep troops levels steady through most of next year. By the end of 2016, U.S. will maintain 5,500 troops in Kabul and Bagram. Tuesday’s report said Obama’s decision reflects the need to give Afghans more time to develop a credible army.

“The resilient Talibanled insurgency remains an enduring threat to U.S., coalition, and Afghan forces, as well as to the Afghan people,” the report said.

It covers the second half of 2015, which is the first year that Afghan forces have fought without U.S. troops alongside them on the battlefield. The Afghans largely stood their ground or managed to recover territory they conceded, but the report credited the Taliban with “improving their ability to find and exploit” Afghan vulnerabilities.