KABUL: As the Trump administration weighs significant United States troop reductions in Afghanistan, the number of attacks carried out by the Taliban and other anti-government forces reached a record high in the last three months of last year, according to a new report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

Despite the continued violence, the Trump administration says it is considering reducing the number of US troops fighting terrorist groups and assisting local forces in the country from approximately 12,000 to 8,600 even in the absence of an agreement with the Taliban aimed at reducing violence and jump-starting talks between the insurgents and the internationally backed government in Kabul.