Chapter Five: South Asia

Abstract

New refugees: 500,000a 400,000a No side in the conflict in Afghanistan made a decisive breakthrough in 2017. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), with assistance from the United States and NATO’s Operation Resolute Support, prevented the Taliban from seizing control of a single provincial capital. However, by the end of 2017, the insurgents remained in control of 14 districts and were openly present in 263 others, thereby threatening at least 70% of the country. Both the Taliban and Khorasan Province (ISIS–KP), an affiliate of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, carried out a number of mass-casualty terrorist attacks in the capital Kabul that had political repercussions for the National Unity Government (NUG). Meanwhile, the peace and reconciliation process with the Taliban saw little real progress.