SWATHES of Afghanistan are falling back under Taliban control with government troops unable to counter their offensive, reports say.

The UK ended combat operations in the nation in 2014 after 13 bloody years.

But now areas which were key battlegrounds are being lost to the Islamist group just two years after operations ended.

This includes Helmand province, where just days ago the fifth of 14 districts fell when troops retreated from the government centre in a heavy firefight.

The country’s forces officially number as many as 25,000 in the key southern region.

However, a report published on April 30 by Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) raised serious doubts about the capabilities of Afghan forces, including grave questions about the true total of soldiers, stating that “neither the United States nor its Afghan allies know how many Afghan soldiers and police actually exist, how many are in fact available for duty, or, by extension, the true nature of their operational capabilities”.

IS THE PROBLEM CONFINED TO HELMAND?

ON Saturday the Taliban released a statement claiming its fighters “took over a major military base and a number of checkpoints” in a district in Baghlan district in the north of the country, also blocking off the main road leading to Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of the Balkh region.

According to the Long War Journal, which specialises in reporting on what was once known as “the war on terror”, the Taliban is also putting pressure on government troops in Kunar, Khost and Paktika to the east and Badghis and Farah to the west. Reports suggest the problems for authorities are compounded by low morale among troops who often face fierce fighting while living on a subsistence diet of rice and green tea, as well as alleged drug abuse amongst the ranks.

Corruption is also said to have contributed to confusion over army numbers, with higher-ranked officers variously accused of failing to report losses and taking soldiers’ salaries for themselves.

WHAT ABOUT THE HUMAN COST?

AT the end of February this year, the number of coalition members killed in Afghanistan stood at 3,515, with the toll on Afghan civilians and security forces reaching into the tens of thousands.

More than 450 UK service personnel have died there since 2001, with the heaviest losses suffered in Helmand.

Many of these deaths happened in and around the town of Sangin, which was overrun by the Taliban in late 2015.

At that time, Major Richard Streatfield, who served in Sangin during 2009-10, told the BBC the development was “hugely disappointing”, saying: “On a personal level, it does make you wonder, was it worth it? Because if the people we were trying to free Afghanistan from are now able to just take it back within two years, that shows that something went badly wrong at the operational and strategic level.”

WHAT IS THE WORLD DOING TO HELP?

ACCORDING to father and son peace activists Nadir Shah and Feroz Khan, who spoke to The National during a visit to Scotland in January, the West has abandoned Afghanistan, with Shah saying: “Every day innocent children, women and old people die in the conflict. So-called billions came into the country in aid, but we don’t know where that money went.”

Meanwhile, Abdul Bostani of support group Glasgow Afghan United, who arrived in Scotland in 2001, accused the global community of “not doing their duty”, adding: “Fourteen years ago they should have worked really hard on creating stability. If they had, we would have a safe and secure Afghanistan.”

While around 10,000 Nato troops remain in the country to train and support Afghan government forces, the International Committee of Red Cross predicts a rise in civilian deaths and casualties this year.

Meanwhile, Afghans were second in number only to Syrians on the refugee trail north to Europe last year, according to the UNHCR.

Nato will meet in Warsaw, Poland, next month to discuss its ongoing operations in the country, but Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has already stated his organisation’s commitments there will continue to be met, including funding for Afghan security forces for the next four years.

Stoltenberg said: “I am confident that we will be in a position to announce at the Warsaw Summit that we have firm commitments to support the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces for the period up to 2020.”

Meanwhile, the Taliban controls around 80 per cent of territory in Marjah, where as many as 15,000 coalition soldiers fought out Operation Moshtarak, and more than half of Gereshk, where the majority of British and American personnel were stationed.

And Musa Qala, scene of intense fighting, has been completely lost. Yesterday one man, who claimed to have seen a friend die on operations there, tweeted: “What a f****** waste of time we grafted to keep Musa Qala for f*** all.”