The United States will continue to launch air strikes in support of Afghan forces facing insurgent attack Taliban, a US regional commander said today as the US and other international forces reduce their troops in Afghanistan.
The Taliban have stepped up their attacks in recent weeks by occupying rural areas and encircling provincial capitals after US President Joe Biden said in April that US troops would withdraw by September, ending the 20-year presence in the country.
“The United States has stepped up air strikes in support of Afghan forces in recent days and we are ready to continue this increased level of support in the coming weeks if the Taliban continue their attacks,” Marine Corps Chief Kenneth Mackenzie told a news conference. Kabul.
Mackenzie, who heads the U.S. Central Command, which controls U.S. forces in the region that includes Afghanistan, declined to say whether U.S. forces would continue air strikes after their military mission ends on August 31.
“The Afghan government is facing a tough test in the coming days. The Taliban are trying to create a sense of inevitability for their campaign,” he said.
But he said a Taliban victory was not inevitable and a political solution remained possible.
The Afghan government and Taliban negotiators have met in the Qatari capital, Doha, in recent weeks, although diplomats say there has been little sign of substantial progress since peace talks began in September.
Stumbling over casualties on the battlefield, the Afghan army is reshaping its war strategy against the Taliban to concentrate forces around the most critical areas such as Kabul and other cities, border crossings and vital infrastructure, according to Afghan and US officials. .
Mackenzie said there would likely be an increase in violence after a break due to the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice last week, and said the Taliban could focus on residential urban areas.
“They will have to deal with the cities if they want to try and return to power,” he said. “I do not think it is a predestined result that they will be able to occupy these urban areas,” he said.
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