Pentagon adjusts tactics as Afghan army toll rises
Operations kill 33 rebels
WASHINGTON, Sept 25, (Agencies): Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday that the US military is adjusting tactics in Afghanistan as the Taleban continue to inflict heavy casualties on local forces.
The Taleban are killing hundreds of Afghan army and police forces each month. The New York Times said the death toll is making it harder to recruit new soldiers.
“So far, they have taken hard casualties over the last year,” Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon.
“But they have continued to fight, and we are adjusting tactics. We’re bringing more support in certain areas,” he added, declining to go into further detail.
In terms of overall violence - impacting soldiers and the citizenry alike - the Afghan conflict could overtake Syria as the deadliest conflict in the world this year, analysts say.
The grim assessment suggests President Donald Trump’s much-vaunted strategy for Afghanistan is - like those of his predecessors - failing to move the needle on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, at least 33 Taleban rebels were killed and 16 others wounded during clearing operations by joint security forces in Afghanistan’s western Farah province, said official on Monday.
Provincial governor’s spokesman, Muhibullah Muhib told media that 33 Taleban rebels have been killed and 16 others wounded in the Khak-i-Safaid district of Farah.
The clearing operations were underway in the district over the past three-day.