War efforts in Afghanistan have appeared optimistic, according to US Defense Secretary James Mattis, however a recent quarterly report tells another story.

John Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, published the 262-page report on May 1, 2018.

According the report, suicide attacks in Afghanistan went up 50% in 2017, opium growing has increased 63%, and Afghanistan is the 183rd worst country in the world to "do business."

So far, 20,318 Defense Department personnel have been wounded in Afghanistan. The number in 2017 was higher than in 2016 and 2015.

Just one day after a double suicide bombing in Kabul killed at least 31 people and wounded scores more, a US military watchdog released a report with a set of dismal statistics on the US involvement in Afghanistan.

The report conflicts with the optimism projected by senior military officials, including US Defense Secretary James Mattis.