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US offers further air support to Afghan troops amid Taleban offensive
US Marine Corps General Kenneth McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, speaks during a news conference in Kabul. — Reuters
Kabul - US commander declined to say whether US forces would continue airstrikes after the end of their military mission on August 31
The United States will continue to carry out airstrikes to support Afghan forces facing attack from the insurgent Taleban, a regional US commander said on Sunday as US and other international forces have drawn down troops in Afghanistan.
The Taleban escalated its offensive in recent weeks, taking rural districts and surrounding provincial capitals, after US President Joe Biden said in April US troops would be withdrawn by September, ending a 20-year foreign military presence.
“The United States has increased airstrikes in support of Afghan forces over the last several days and we’re prepared to continue this heightened level of support in the coming weeks if the Taleban continue their attacks,” US Marine-General Kenneth McKenzie told a news conference in Kabul.
McKenzie, who leads US Central Command, which controls US forces for a region that includes Afghanistan, declined to say whether US forces would continue airstrikes after the end of their military mission on August 31.
“The government of Afghanistan faces a stern test in the days ahead ... The Taleban are attempting to create a sense of inevitability about their campaign,” he said.
But he said a Taleban victory was not inevitable and a political solution remained a possibility.
Afghan government and Taleban negotiators have met in Qatar’s capital Doha in recent weeks, although diplomats say there have been few signs of substantive process since peace talks began in September.
Reeling from battlefield losses, Afghanistan’s military is overhauling its war strategy against the Taleban to concentrate forces around the most critical areas like Kabul and other cities, border crossings and vital infrastructure, Afghan and US officials have said.
McKenzie said there would likely be a rise in violence after a lull over Eid Al Adha and said the Taleban could focus on populated urban centres.
“They are going to have to deal with the cities if they want to try and claw their way back into power,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that they are going to be able to capture these urban areas.”
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