US carries out air strike on Taliban targets
KABUL: The United States yesterday carried out its first air strike on Taliban fighters in Afghanistan since the two sides signed a troop withdrawal agreement on Saturday.
A US forces spokesman confirmed the incident in southern Helmand province, hours after President Donald Trump spoke by phone with chief Taliban negotiator Mullah Baradar Akhund, the first known conversation between a US leader and a top Taliban official.
The Taliban fighters “were actively attacking an [Afghan National Security Forces] checkpoint. This was a defensive strike to disrupt the attack,”
Colonel Sonny Leggett, a spokesman for US Forces, Afghanistan, said in a tweet.
He said Washington was committed to peace but would defend Afghan forces if needed.
“Taliban leadership promised the [international] community they would reduce violence and not increase attacks. We call on the Taliban to stop needless attacks and uphold their commitments,” he said.
In a series of posts on Twitter late on Wednesday, US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad did not refer to the US strike, but said: “Increasing violence is a threat to the peace agreement and must be reduced immediately.”
Mr Khalilzad said the United States was committed to facilitating a prisoner exchange and would “support each side to release significant numbers”.
The air strike was the first by the US against the Taliban in 11 days, when a reduction in violence agreement had begun between the sides in the lead up to Saturday’s pact.
Since the signing, the Taliban had decided on Monday to resume normal operations against Afghan forces, though sources have said they will continue to hold back on attacks on foreign forces.
Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said in a Tweet that “according to the plan [the Taliban] is implementing all parts of the agreement ... in order to keep the fighting reduced.”