The American forces conducted two airstrikes on Taliban fighters to disrupt the plans of launching attacks on Afghan security forces by the militant group, a spokesman of the US military stated on Friday, in a move that can hurt the peace process.
The airstrikes, which were conducted at two different provinces, were the first after the start of the ceasefire of Eid declared by the Afghan and also the Taliban forces during last month.
US Forces Conduct Airstrikes on Taliban Fighters
Sonny Leggett, a U.S. military spokesman based in Afghanistan, said in a tweet that an airstrike was carried out against 25 armed Taliban fighters executing a coordinated attack on an Afghan force checkpoint in Farah province in the west. He said a second attack was conducted in Kandahar in the south.
He did not give casualty figures, and a Taliban spokesman refused to comment on the airstrikes, which were conducted at a time when the United States is steadily pulling its troops out of Afghanistan. U.S. President Donald Trump in recent weeks has restated his desire for a full military withdrawal from Afghanistan but has not set a target date, amid speculation he might make ending America's longest war part of his re-election campaign.
But Afghan security officials and European diplomats said the fighting had yet to ebb despite all parties working towards finding a political settlement to end the Afghan war. At least 10 Afghan security forces members were killed on Friday morning in an ambush by the Taliban in southern Zabul province, Afghan officials said. The Taliban has not claimed responsibility for the attack.
(With agency inputs)
