*KABUL – The Afghanistan Air Force (AAF) took delivery of another fourBlack Hawk helicopters from the US forces on Tuesday at Kandahar airport. *
The new helicopters added to the four others handed over to AAF by the US afew months ago.
Maj. Gen. James B. Hecker, commander of US air forces in Afghanistan saidat the handover ceremony in Kandahar that following the US missions in Iraqand Syria, they are now concentrating more on Afghanistan.
“In Iraq and Syria ISIS has been basically removed from 98 percent of theterritory that they used to occupy, a hundred percent out that was in Iraq.So we are able to take some of those resources,” said Hecker.
US air forces director, future operations in Afghanistan, Brig. Gen. LanceBunch meanwhile said in the next war season the Taliban will face attacksthat they have never before experienced.
“With the introduction of the south-Asia policy, we were provided newauthorities that will allow us to continue to target the Taliban in waysthey have never seen in this fight,” said Bunch.
Meanwhile AAF general commander, General Shoaib urged Washington to paymore attention to Afghanistan Air Force’s needs and provide them with moreequipment.
“We want them to provide us with more helicopters and airplanes such asBlack Hawks and other types of planes until our needs are fulfilled,” saidShoaib.
The US has committed to providing 160 Black Hawk helicopters to Afghanistanin the next few years.