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Afghan Air Force Growth Pays Off In Fight Against Taliban
The Afghan air force has grown in capacity and proficiency as it continues to successfully target the Taliban across Afghanistan, the deputy air commander of NATO’s Resolute Support mission said.
Air Force Brig. Gen. Lance R. Bunch, also the vice commander of the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force Afghanistan, said during a teleconference for Pentagon reporters from Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, that the Afghans are fighting their own war.
“The Afghan air force continues to add new capability, from dropping laser-guided bombs to combat air drops to integrating the UH-60 [helicopter] into their operations,” Bunch said. “This is an air force that gets better every day.”
Under the authorities of the president’s South Asia Strategy, he explained, coalition air power has expanded the targeting of Taliban forces, finances and infrastructure using new methods.
Pressuring for Reconciliation
“The entire purpose behind our air campaign is to pressure the Taliban into reconciliation and help them realize that peace talks are their best option,” Bunch said. “We kept the pressure on them through the winter and into this spring. Before the recent cease-fire began, Operation Iron Tempest, … our air campaign, had destroyed 154 Taliban targets.”
The South Asia Strategy’s new authorities have allowed for increased military pressure, which has been “amplified by the diplomatic and social pressure that is manifesting itself across the country in the form of the Afghan people calling for peace,” the general said.
Cease-Fire Still in Effect
And while Operation Iron Tempest is only one element of the military pressure the coalition has been putting on the Taliban, Bunch said he thinks it was a contributing factor to the recent cease-fire, which is still in effect. The cease-fire and more talk of peace are clear indications the South Asia Strategy is working, the general said.
“It was the combination of this military pressure, coupled with diplomatic and social pressure, that has brought us to this point, where for the first time in four decades, the people of Afghanistan were able to celebrate a peaceful end to the holy month of Ramadan,” Bunch said. “Now that the Afghan people have had a taste of that peace, their calls for a lasting peace have multiplied across the country and been heard worldwide, increasing pressure on the Taliban to reconcile.”
Airstrikes and other operations have hit the Taliban where it hurts most: in the wallet, the general said. “By all estimates, these air operations have taken over $45 million in revenue away from the Taliban in the strikes leading up to the cease-fire,” Bunch noted.
And the Afghan National Interdiction Unit’s raids, advised by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, have seized or destroyed another $11 million from the Taliban’s illicit drug enterprise, he said.
No Evidence of Civilian Casualties
Bunch emphasized that no credible allegations of civilian casualties have arisen from the 154 strikes. “Our airstrikes and raids are targeted very specifically to avoid civilian casualties while putting maximum financial pressure on the insurgents,” the general said.
And unless the Taliban joins Afghanistan’s government in negotiations to extend the cease-fire, Bunch said the coalition will continue to pursue them and their illicit revenue streams at every turn.
“We are not here conducting counter-narcotics operations,” he pointed out. “The South Asia Strategy gave us extended authorities to conduct counterthreat finance operations. There is a difference that I want to emphasize: Whatever sources of revenue the Taliban draws upon, that’s where we’ll strike them.”
The Afghans leading the fight against the Taliban, Bunch emphasized. “It’s been an honor to watch them own this fight and want to own it,” he added. “Every day, they’re only getting better and more capable on the battlefield and in the air. They are fighting for the future of their nation and for the rest of the world.”
By DoD News
A tripartite meeting between the delegations of Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan was held in Kabul with the aim of connecting North Asia to South Asia and reducing transit and transportation costs among these three countries, the Ministry of Trade and Commerce said in a statement.
In this meeting, an agreement was reached on the creation of a joint technical committee to continue the talks.
This tripartite meeting was held under the leadership of Nooruddin Azizi, the Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, Vice President of Turkmenistan and Srik Zhumangarin, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.
Earlier, a bilateral meeting was held between the delegation of the Islamic Emirate and Turkmenistan. The ministry of commerce said the participants of the meeting discussed the construction of a large joint logistics center in Torghondi, the trilateral transit agreement between the IEA, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, the expansion of Afghanistan’s railway, solving issues related to Afghan transit and export goods, and a number of other commercial issues.
Acting Minister of National Defense Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid has said that no destructive groups including Daesh have physical presence in Afghanistan, adding the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) will not allow anyone to pose threat to any country in the region from the Afghan soil.
Mujahid made the remarks in a meeting with a delegation from Malaysia in Kabul on Thursday.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Defense, Mujahid highlighted Malaysia’s “good treatment” of Afghan refugees and its long-standing relations with Afghanistan, and said that Malaysia is a powerful Islamic country and visits should increase.
He added that with the establishment of the Islamic Emirate, occupation and war ended in Afghanistan, and the country is fully secure.
Based on the statement, the Malaysian delegation called Afghanistan a friendly country and while emphasizing on comprehensive cooperation, it assured that what they have seen in Afghanistan will be shared with the authorities of their country.
The European Union signed an agreement worth 17 million euros with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to improve access to basic services, increased economic opportunities and protection for Afghans on the move and their host communities in Afghanistan.
The needs of women and girls are a particular focus of the programme, EU said in a statement released on Thursday.
The statement noted that from January 2023 until April 2024, over 1.5 million Afghans returned from Pakistan and Iran.
“I am deeply moved by the hardship returnees face when being deported to Afghanistan. In a country suffering from poverty and climate change, and in a city that just saw devastating earthquakes, this truly is a crisis within a crisis.”, said Peteris Ustubs, Director for the Middle East, Asia and Pacific of the European Commission’s Department for International Partnerships during the signing ceremony at the IOM transit centre in Herat.
Raffaella Iodice, EU Chargée d’Affaires a.i. to Afghanistan, added “The solidarity of the Afghan people towards their brothers and sisters is an inspiration. We must assure that communities hosting and helping new arrivals are supported. The partnership with IOM ensures access to essential services and provides protection for Afghan returnees and their host communities. As women and girls can be particularly affected, we make sure that all members of society can benefit”.
“IOM’s continued partnership with the EU has been critical in enabling our teams to reach hundreds of thousands of Afghan returnees and other vulnerable communities in the country”, said IOM Afghanistan Chief of Mission, Maria Moita. “Thanks to this renewed commitment, we will be able to focus on addressing the immense challenges in the areas of return and contribute to reintegration, social cohesion, and longer-term solutions for those communities.”
This additional contribution is part of a 5-year programme that is being implemented across Afghanistan and in four countries in the region. It builds on the EU’s previous support to IOM to improve the wellbeing of Afghans forced to return to the country, EU said.
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