The war resumes
U.S. retaliates vs. Taliban hrs. after Don’s ‘good talk’
Just days after the United States and the Taliban signed a peace deal — and hours after President Trump had a “very good talk” with the group’s leader — the U.S. launched an air strike on a Taliban target Wednesday.
U.S. military spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett said in a tweet the “defensive air strike” on Taliban forces was carried out in response to an assault on Afghan government forces at a checkpoint in Nahr-e Saraj — the latest in a string of recent, similar attacks.
“This was our first strike against the Taliban in 11 days,” Legett tweeted. “On March 3rd alone, the Taliban conducted 43 attacks on [Afghan National Defense and Security Force] checkpoints in Helmand.”
Just hours earlier, Trump had a telephone call with Taliban chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. He held the conversation up as a success and told reporters the group has “agreed to no more violence.”
The conversation was the first between a U.S. president and a leader of the Taliban — which is directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan in nearly two decades of fighting.
“We will see what happens,” Trump said. “They’re dealing with Afghanistan, but we will see what happens.”
At least 25 Afghan soldiers were killed, and 13 others injured, in three separate attacks overnight Tuesday, local officials confirmed to CNN.
The Taliban’s targeting of U.S. checkpoints comes days after the Trump administration signed a historic agreement with the military group aimed at reducing violence in the region and ultimately ending America’s involvement in the 18-year war.
The deal, signed Saturday, did not require the Taliban to end attacks, but officials hoped the group would reduce violence in the leadup to talks with the Afghan government. The agreement does, however, require the U.S. military to reduce its troop levels to 8,600 in 135 days.
The Taliban, in return, agreed to “not allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including Al Qaeda, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies.” It additionally vowed its members would not cooperate with those threatening U.S. forces and that it would prevent dangerous groups from “recruiting, training and fundraising.”
Under the same agreement, an estimated 5,000 Taliban prisoners were set to be exchanged for some 1,000 Afghan security force prisoners by next Tuesday — the same day official talks between the Taliban and government forces are expected to begin.
But Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani said Sunday he had not agreed to any such swap, adding he would not join any peace talks if securityforce prisoners have not been freed first.