In a first, US Air Force conduct strikes on Taliban near China Border raising serious concerns
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KABUL - In a first such strike of its kind in Afghanistan, US Air Force has carried out a series of airstrikes on Taliban hideouts near the border with Tajikistan and China as efforts are underway to suppress the Taliban-led insurgency across the country as part of the ongoing massive air campaign, Khaama Press has reported.
Over the past 96 hours, U.S. forces conducted air operations to strike Taliban training facilities in Badakhshan province, preventing the planning and rehearsal of terrorist acts near the border with China and Tajikistan by such organizations as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement and others, according to a report by NATO-led Resolute Support Mission.
The strikes also destroyed stolen Afghan National Army vehicles that were in the process of being converted to vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.
The report further adds that during these strikes, a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress dropped 24 precision guided munitions on Taliban fighting positions, setting a record of the most guided munitions ever dropped from a B-52.
The aircraft has played a leading role in Air Force operations for decades, and was recently reconfigured with a conventional rotary launcher to increase its reach and lethality.
Continued U.S. strikes disrupt Taliban support networks in Helmand province, as well as destroy their sources of revenue such as illegal narcotics, the report adds.
According to the Resoute Support, ongoing strikes in Helmand continue to degrade Taliban revenue sources and safe havens. U.S. strikes and ASSF raids have resulted in the removal of more than $30 million of Taliban revenue since the campaign began in November, 2017.
“The Taliban have nowhere to hide,” said General John Nicholson, commander, USFOR-A. “There will be no safe haven for any terrorist group bent on bringing harm and destruction to this country.”
