The US initiated airstrikes across Afghanistan in the last several days as part of an endeavor to assist the Afghan security forces fighting Taliban terrorists, the Pentagon has said. The bulletin of US airstrikes in Afghanistan came a day after America’s superior military officer acknowledged that the Taliban had gained strategic momentum, with their forces now controlling about half of Afghanistan’s more than 400 district centres. The Pentagon, thus, exempt from giving any particulars of its airstrikes in Afghanistan.
Without discussing the specific circumstances, I can say that in the last few days, we have taken actions through air strikes to support the ANDSF (Afghan National Security and Defense Forces), but I will not speak about the tactical details of these air strikes. John Kirby, the Pentagon’s press secretary, told reporters at a press meeting here Thursday. But, as the Secretary of State said yesterday, we still can and pursue to perform airstrikes in support of ANDSF, “he said. The US commander in the area, General Kenneth Frank McKenzie of Central Command, will reserve the right to urge airstrikes to support the Afghan military until the US fully withdraws from Afghanistan. According to a defense official, the US military has launched about six or seven strikes in the past 30 days, mostly using drones to launch strikes, CNN reports.
A US defense official said Thursday that the attack was intended to capture the Taliban [capable of] confiscating ANDSF military equipment, “the VOA reported. The official added that he requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information.
The Taliban have swept the entire country in recent days. Afghanistan, as the United States approached the end of its troop withdrawal, repelled the Afghan army and occupied a large area. The United States Central Command in charge of Afghan affairs recently stated that more than 95% of the US troop withdrawal has been completed. President Joe Biden said the troop withdrawal would be Completed by the end August. Approximately 650 soldiers will stick in the country to ensure the U.S. diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, including the embassy, and to help ensure the security of Kabul International Airport, which is a necessary facility for diplomatic activities.
General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated on Wednesday that Taliban forces were putting pressure on 17 of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals. “There’s a probability of a complete Taliban acquisition or a possibility of any number of other scenarios, breakdown, warlordism, all other kinds of scenarios that are out there. We’re administering very closely, I don’t think the settlements are yet written,” he said.
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