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The CIA is a growing force in Afghanistan. Lately, it has been sending teams of highly trained officers and contractors to hunt Taliban militants. Since the U.S. invasion 16 years ago, this is the largest role the CIA has played in Afghanistan.

Expanding Covert Presence

Prior to this, the CIA had been mostly focused on defeating Al Qaeda. Taking on the Taliban was considered a costly, open-ended mission. Nevertheless, under the new leadership of Mike Pompeo, the CIA is asserting itself more so than ever. The agency is also seeking to expand its drone strike capabilities in the country. Trump spoke over the summer about increasing the tool box that the U.S. has to fight terrorism. “The killers need to know they have nowhere to hide, that no place is beyond the reach of American might and American arms," Trump said.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made an unannounced visit to tribal country today. Tillerson's visit was part of the White House's South Asia strategy that it has been rolling out over the past several weeks. Tillerson highlighted the renewed focus on the Taliban. "Clearly we have to continue to fight against the Taliban...in order for them to understand they will never win a military victory."

A Long War Becoming Longer

Spearheading the CIA's greater efforts in Afghanistan in the agency's paramilitary wing. The paramilitary wing, only a few hundreds officers total, is deployed in clandestine operations all over the globe. These officers are paired with U.S. military special forces and Afghani intelligence operatives.

Paramilitary operations have been a go-to choice for the U.S. government in Afghanistan. Since winding down major troop deployments in 2014, the U.S. military has relied on CIA officers to train Afghani forces.

After 16 years, Taliban fighter are still able to use tactics like road side bombs to disrupt government operations. There have been 5,700 attacks from the Taliban in 2017 alone. Therefore, the CIA is responding accordingly by using covert paramilitary officers. In a time when the U.S. is wary of troop commitments, paramilitary groups offer a surgical alternative.

CIA Director Pompeo, speaking in Texas this summer, said the Trump had authorized the agency "to take risks" in its fight with extremists. These "risks" had were allowable so long as they “make the C.I.A. faster and more aggressive.”

The fight in Afghanistan, even after all these years, appears to be escalating. Over 1,600 Afghani civilians, a record number, have been killed this year. With every passing year, the U.S. presence seems more and more like a permanent one.