Acting Defense Minister Assadullah Khalid and the US and NATO Forces Commander in Afghanistan Gen. Scott Miller on Friday visited Kandahar to assess security situation and the ongoing military operations in the province. 

Miller visited Kandahar following his previous visit in October, 2018, when former Kandahar police chief Gen. Abdul Raziq was assassinated in an attack by an armed man.

Khalid and Miller met Afghan National Army and Police force members as well as the provincial Police Chief Gen. Tadeen Khan, Kandahar tribalelders and commanders leading the military operations against militants and discussed issues around security and the operations.

In an address to the security forces, Khalid said military operations are ongoing well in Maiwand and Ghorak districts in the province adding that more operations will be launched in other insecure parts of the province in the near future. 

“The purpose of our today’s visit is to assess security situation and the military operations which have been launched in Maiwand and Ghorakdistricts as well as the operations which will be launched in other areas in the near future,” said Khalid. 

Khalid assured Kandahar residents that the security forces will maintain security and will defend Afghanistan “against the enemy”. 

He also said that efforts are underway to address the challenges that Afghan forces are facing in Kandahar. 

Although security departments are insisting on military pressure on Taliban, but findings of the Special Investigator General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) show that currently the Afghan government control only 53 percent of Afghanistan soil, which show a decrease. 

The report also said the number of Afghan security forces is shrinking. 

In their last quarterly report to congress, SIGAR reported that the personnel strength of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) as of October 31, 2018, was 308,693 personnel – the lowest it has been since the Resolute Support mission began in January 2015.

According to the report, the ANDSF strength decreased by 3,635 personnel in the previous quarter, and by 3,983 since the same period in 2017.

SIGAR reported that according to the Department of Defense, the ANDSF’s total goal was 352,000 personnel – which meant the last quarter’s strength was only at 87.7 percent – 43,307 personnel short.