Integrity Score 2097
No Records Found
No Records Found
No Records Found
The Kandahar Province in Afghanistan is considered the birthplace of the Taliban. And the Taliban are trying their best to wrest control of the province to showcase its determination to take over the whole of Afghanistan, eventually. Having captured several areas around the Kandahar city, the momentum is with the Islamist militant group.
The U.S. is worried at the advance and it carried out strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday against several Taliban positions, including around the city of Kandhahar. This is the first indication from the U.S. that it will share the burden of supporting the Afghan government forces in their battle against a determined enemy. [https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/23/world/europe/us-airstrikes-afghanistan-taliban.html]
The New York Times says that Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III a base in the United Arab Emirates was being used for "over-the-horizon strikes” in Afghanistan.
Can it slow down the charge of the Taliban?
That is the plan according to experts who are watching the situation closely. One indication in that direction is the close coordination with which the U.S. and the Afghan governments are working. For instance, President Ashraf Ghani on Friday spoke on phone with US President Joe Biden and discussed “discussed the evolving but continuing relationship between the two countries.”
Ghani tweeted, “President Biden reassured me that support for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) will continue. We have confidence that they will protect and defend Afghanistan.”
Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said the airstrikes violated terms of the ongoing peace accord discussions and “would have negative consequences.” [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/23/us-afghanistan-airstrikes/]
According to Ghani, the Afghan government is working on a new security plan. Under this, major cities, highways and other locations of strategic importance would be defended at all costs and not allow the Taliban to advance.
The U.S. may agree with this plan and hence the airstrikes near Kandahar to slow the Taliban advance. But the question remains if the airstrikes will continue even after the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan completely, which is not too far away.
Read more:
Why the airstrikes against Taliban?:
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/22/us-launched-overnight-airstrikes-on-the-taliban-to-support-afghan-forces.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/23/us-afghanistan-airstrikes/
What is Afghanistan's plan?:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-173695