GOVERNMENT forces in Afghanistan are losing control of territories, according to a new report, while the Taliban are largely holding their own despite an increase in US bombings.

According to US Central Command data, aircraft from the country dropped 6,823 bombs in the first 11 months of 2018, in contrast to 4,361 bombs in 2017.

Congress received a report today from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (Sigar), which said: “The Afghan government controls or influences 54 per cent of districts, down from 56 per cent a year earlier,” with the rest of the country controlled or contested by the Taliban.

US President Donald Trump’s reported withdrawal of 14,000 troops from Afghanistan has piled pressure on Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who has been publicly emphasising the losses his troops are facing in combat with the Taliban.

During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr Ghani said 45,000 Afghan security personnel had died since September 2014, which is when former US president Barack Obama ended the US ground combat role against the Taliban.

The losses suffered by the Afghan forces explain why Kabul is unable to build its army and police. The report said: “The army and police are at a combined total of just over 308,000, down from 312,000 a year earlier and nearly 316,000 in 2016.”

In a report to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said neither the Afghan government nor the Taliban would be able to gain a strategic military advantage in 2019 if US-led coalition support remains at current levels.

“Afghan forces generally have secured cities and other government strongholds, but the Taliban has increased large-scale attacks, and Afghan security suffers from a large number of forces being tied down in defensive missions, mobility shortfalls, and a lack of reliable forces to hold recaptured territory,” his report said.