The United States will continue air strikes in support of Afghan forces fighting the Taliban, a top US general said Sunday, as the insurgents press on with offensives across the country. Since early May, violence has surged after the insurgents launched a sweeping assault just days after the US-led foreign forces began their final withdrawal.
The Taliban’s deadly assault has seen the insurgents capture scores of districts, border crossings and encircle several provincial capitals.
Speaking to reporters Sunday in Kabul, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of the US Army Central Command, said, “The United States has increased airstrikes in the support of Afghan forces over the last several days, and we are prepared to continue this heightened level of support in the coming weeks if the Taliban continue their attacks.”
“The Taliban are attempting to create a sense of inevitability about their campaign. They are wrong,” he said.
“Taliban victory is not inevitable,” he said, adding the US military will continue giving logistical support to Afghan air force even after the end of August 31 when all foreign forces are expected to leave.
“We will continue to support the Afghan forces even after that August 31 date, it will generally be from over the horizon,” McKenzie said.
U.S. Army Conducted two strikes Defense officials opposed the Taliban’s target on Thursday to support Afghan troops in Kandahar. Three of the last four US strikes have targeted captured equipment, according to one defense official. This included US equipment transferred to Afghan defense forces, which the Taliban captured as they advanced throughout the country.
The airstrikes are in the midst of a strong move by the Taliban to occupy the territory and a parallel bid to rekindle the diplomatic move to end the war by negotiation. A Taliban spokesperson on Friday accused the US airstrikes in Kandahar and Helmand of being “resulting” and “barbaric attacks.” “The Islamic Emirate has blamed these barbaric attacks in the strongest terms,” a spokeswoman said.
Mackenzie vowed to support the Afghan Air Force in the future on Sunday, saying that the US Air Force will also retain the ability to “attack Afghanistan” against two other groups, ISIS and Al Qaeda.
McKenzie said it will be clear in the next “days and weeks” whether the Afghan government can protect the country from the Taliban.
He added: “I don’t think it’s an easy path … [but] We do not accept the story of a necessary civil war. “
Fighting continued on Sunday in the suburbs of Kandahar. McKenzie admitted that the US Air Force had recently bombed the state, according to AFP reports. With a population of 650,000, Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan after Kabul.
