World

US carries out first Taliban strikes under new rules

Pentagon says strikes were carried out in southern Afghanistan

Afp June 25, 2016

Pentagon says strikes were carried out in southern Afghanistan. PHOTO: US EMBASSY KABUL, AFGHANISTAN.

WASHINGTON: The US military has carried out its first air strikes against Taliban targets in Afghanistan under newly approved rules, the Pentagon said on Friday.

President Barack Obama this month announced greater powers for US forces to go after the Taliban, making it easier to work with Afghan security forces to strike the insurgent group directly.

"There have been operations carried out with these new authorities," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said. "It's fair to say that these strikes did target Taliban positions." Cook added that the strikes occurred in southern Afghanistan, but he did not provide additional details.

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US forces have been in an advisory role in Afghanistan since the start of 2015 and had previously only been authorised to hit Taliban targets for defensive reasons, or to protect Afghan troops.

Now the United States can more proactively support Afghans, including by providing additional close air support and accompanying Afghan forces on the battlefield.

Afghan security forces last year took the lead in ensuring security across the country, but suffered a string of devastating setbacks at the hands of the Taliban. More than 5,000 Afghan security forces were killed last year alone.

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Some 9,800 US troops remain in Afghanistan in an advisory capacity, down from a peak of around 100,000 in March 2011. That number is set to drop to just 5,500 by the year's end.

Diplomatic efforts to engage the Taliban are in disarray and the United States last month killed the group's leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, in a drone strike in Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26^th, 2016.

COMMENTS (2)

Pashtun | 7 years ago | Reply Recent videos posted by Taliban show tat american soldiers are present on ground with puppet forces at the time of attacks from Taliban. Taliban also want you to stay there until they shed you out of your dollars and energy. Salute to those who despite of massive propaganda by zionists and their puppies in our countries do not bow in front of anti-christ's forces

Hakim Afghani | 7 years ago | Reply As an Afghan i can honestly tell you all, this year's Taliban performance was the worst one ever. Spring offensive was nothing but a show off. They could not achieve anything whatsoever. Their fire power decreased by 90% comparing to other years... no Idea what happened among them but Taliban is no longer the Taliban it used to be years ago. Except kidnapping few innocent citizens - they could not do anything else. They could not fight with Afghan forces nor with the U.S/NATO.

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