SIGAR: Insider Attacks Increased Among Afghan Security Forces

A new report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has found that the security situation in Afghanistan continues to worsen as the Taliban manages to seize new territory, and civilian casualties and US military deaths rise ever more steeply.

The report stated that another cause for concern is a spike in the number of “insider attacks” during the past quarter.

Insider attacks are when Afghans that are being trained to become a police or army officer instead attack US or Afghan forces.

According to the SIGAR report, there have been 54 reported insider attacks from January 1 to August 15, 2017.

These attacks not only seek to cause immediate damage, but also erode the trust between Coalition and Afghan troops.

In a recognition of this, US Defense Secretary James Mattis stated that insider attacks are “probably one of the most difficult aspects of this war.”