The US launched several airstrikes in Afghanistan against the Taliban this week, the Pentagon said on Thursday. The airstrikes were carried out in support of the Afghan government, which has been losing significant ground to the Taliban since the US started pulling troops out back in May.
“In the last several days we have acted, through airstrikes, to support the ANDSF [Afghan National Defense and Security Forces],” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters. He was asked about alleged airstrikes in Kandahar, but said, “I won’t get into technical details of those strikes.”
Since the US-Taliban peace deal was signed in February 2020, US airstrikes on the Taliban have declined, but they do happen. The US usually frames the airstrikes as being carried out in the “defense” of the Afghan government. For their part, the Taliban has refrained from attacking the US or other foreign troops since the agreement was signed.
This week’s airstrikes mark the first that the US admitted to since Gen. Scott Miller, the former top US commander in Afghanistan, handed his authority to Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command. It’s also a sign that the US will continue bombing Afghanistan until at least August 31st, when President Biden said the withdrawal will be complete.
US airstrikes in Afghanistan are now being launched from outside the country, what the Pentagon has dubbed “over the horizon capability.” The US will maintain this capability after the withdrawal, so it’s possible that the US will continue bombing Afghanistan beyond September. The US also has plans to leave about 600 troops in the country that will be in Kabul to guard the embassy and the international airport.
“BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO” Well that is, Badly seems to be the norm
Why do they even bother… Do they think they are “Saving Face” Are they that far deluded.. They need a life trainer!!!
Unmarked (US) helicopters have been supplying arms to ISIS in northern Afghanistan.
Airstrikes! That’s one that never has been tried before!
If airstrikes were the answer, the Kabul regime would be winning game shows.
It will be important to know EXACTLY the nature of the target. US wants to EXPAND its military raid capabilities in the region — as Central Asia has stabilized under China-Russia collaborative effort.
I feel that Syrian model may be used. One, find a region in Afghanistan that will be taken over by our paid militants (like HTS in Syria) and as rebel territory within Afghanistan. This can be done by paying a Taliban clan or softening up a clan where leadership is split — to convince them to cooperate. Second, just like in Syria, such a clan or clans can sit on mineral reserves, or like Syria’s Al-Tanf, to facilitate cross border supply of terrorists and weapons. And like in Syria, Israel and US are bombing supposed “Iranian” infiltrators. Possibilities are ENDLESS and EXCUSES plentiful and irrelevant — for as long as the target country is kept destabilized and off balance. For as long as peace cannot be established. Trade and infrastructure cannot be built, free movement of people from neighboring countries cannot be established.
Around Syria, Lebanon is under full scale attack. It has been polarized politically, its banking system destroyed, its corporations — too trusting of Western institutions blackmailed, supplies dependent on West (medicines). choked off. Iraq is kept in the state of instability. Turkey under regular attack on its currency — not successful so far.
But things have started to change. A direct challenge to Israel is being subtly launched. And key countries have just joined SCO — Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Turkey and Azerbaijan are already members with partner status, Afghanistan and Iran observer status and Pakistan permanent member.
This strategy of raid-based destabilization will meet its antidote.
Likely the order came directly from Biden. The Deep State, especially the Pentagon, has already abandoned the field. The politicians, because their face is on it, are frantically flailing and floundering to forfend the inexorable reprise of Saigon ’75.
My prediction too
The chaos of today was baked into the 2003 invasion. If you don’t want to look like assholes quit casually making war on cave dwelling poor people. People get massacred no matter if it’s last year or today or 5 years down the road.
This is just killing for the sake of killing. Murder then.
There is no hope of winning. No hope of changing outcomes in any way that matters. Fighting on from here is hopeless, and so murderous even more so than the resort to war itself.
Afghanistan has a tradition of taking to the hills to wait for another day. They have a lot of hills in which to hide, and for centuries they have done that. That is what we can do now.
We can take in those who are vulnerable for helping us. The rest we can help hide to wait out events as they always have before.
You can always count on the USA to keep its word.
There is a consoling thought, though:
” The US also has plans to leave about 600 troops in the country that will be in Kabul to guard the embassy and the international airport.”
I read that around 600 scalps will very soon be hanging on the wall.