State Department watchdog says ‘civilian surge’ in Afghanistan is struggling

Report: Afghan ‘civilian surge’ is struggling

WASHINGTON — A new report says the so-called “civilian surge” in Afghanistan may not succeed in time to help the war effort.

The civilians are agriculturalists, lawyers, engineers and others sent to help the Afghan government while troops fight the Taliban.

A report from the State Department’s internal watchdog says the embassy in Kabul did a good job of quickly tripling the number of civilians in the country.

But the inspector general says they have been challenged by the unprecedented pace of the buildup, including the fact that new civilians have arrived before there is housing, food and security.