AIRLINK 62.48 Increased By ▲ 2.05 (3.39%)
BOP 5.36 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.19%)
CNERGY 4.58 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-0.43%)
DFML 15.50 Increased By ▲ 0.66 (4.45%)
DGKC 66.40 Increased By ▲ 1.60 (2.47%)
FCCL 17.59 Increased By ▲ 0.73 (4.33%)
FFBL 27.70 Increased By ▲ 2.95 (11.92%)
FFL 9.27 Increased By ▲ 0.21 (2.32%)
GGL 10.06 Increased By ▲ 0.10 (1%)
HBL 105.70 Increased By ▲ 1.49 (1.43%)
HUBC 122.30 Increased By ▲ 4.78 (4.07%)
HUMNL 6.60 Increased By ▲ 0.06 (0.92%)
KEL 4.50 Decreased By ▼ -0.05 (-1.1%)
KOSM 4.48 Decreased By ▼ -0.09 (-1.97%)
MLCF 36.20 Increased By ▲ 0.79 (2.23%)
OGDC 122.92 Increased By ▲ 0.53 (0.43%)
PAEL 23.00 Increased By ▲ 1.09 (4.97%)
PIAA 29.34 Increased By ▲ 2.05 (7.51%)
PIBTL 5.80 Decreased By ▼ -0.14 (-2.36%)
PPL 107.50 Increased By ▲ 0.13 (0.12%)
PRL 27.25 Increased By ▲ 0.74 (2.79%)
PTC 18.07 Increased By ▲ 1.97 (12.24%)
SEARL 53.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.63 (-1.17%)
SNGP 63.21 Increased By ▲ 2.01 (3.28%)
SSGC 10.80 Increased By ▲ 0.05 (0.47%)
TELE 9.20 Increased By ▲ 0.71 (8.36%)
TPLP 11.44 Increased By ▲ 0.86 (8.13%)
TRG 70.86 Increased By ▲ 0.95 (1.36%)
UNITY 23.62 Increased By ▲ 0.11 (0.47%)
WTL 1.28 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
BR100 6,944 Increased By 65.8 (0.96%)
BR30 22,827 Increased By 258.6 (1.15%)
KSE100 67,142 Increased By 594.3 (0.89%)
KSE30 22,090 Increased By 175.1 (0.8%)
World

US warplanes helping Afghan forces fend off Taliban: officials

  • A US defence official confirmed air support was backing government forces.
Published May 5, 2021

KANDAHAR: American warplanes were backing Afghan forces against a major Taliban offensive in the south of the country even as the US military pressed on with a troop withdrawal, officials said Wednesday.

Fierce fighting has erupted in Helmand province since the weekend, when the US military formally began withdrawing its remaining troops.

They were supposed to have been pulled out by May 1 under a deal struck with the Taliban last year, but Washington now says they will only be out by September 11 -- a slippage that has angered the insurgents.

"The heavy US air strikes against the Taliban positions stopped them from advancing towards Lashkar Gah," said Atiqullah, a local government official, referring to the provincial capital.

"The bombing was intense. I have never seen such bombardment in several years."

Thousands of Afghans have fled their homes and taken refuge in Lashkar Gah in the face of the fighting, officials and residents say.

Attaullah Afghan, head of the Helmand provincial council, told AFP Taliban forces had made advances, but government forces had "retaken some of these areas".

"The Taliban have intensified their attacks in almost all districts of Helmand for four days," he said.

A US defence official confirmed air support was backing government forces.

The US military continues "to deliver precision air strikes in support" of Afghan forces in Helmand and other regions of the country, the official told AFP.

Dozens of Taliban fighters were killed in fighting on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah as insurgents attempted to overrun several checkpoints, Afghan government officials said.

The Taliban, meanwhile, said scores of Afghan security personnel had died.

Both sides frequently exaggerate casualties inflicted on the other.

Fighting was also reported in other provinces.

Under the terms of last year's withdrawal deal, the Taliban agreed not to attack US troops -- but insurgents have continued relentless assaults against Afghan forces.

The missed deadline raised fears, however, that the Taliban would resume targetting foreign forces even as they completed their withdrawal, or that Afghan troops would be left defenceless without air support.

"We have the military means and capability to fully protect our force during retrograde as well as support the Afghan security forces," US top commander in Afghanistan General Scott Miller said ahead of the weekend.

The withdrawal of foreign forces comes even as efforts to hammer out a peace deal between Afghan government and the Taliban have stalled.

Comments

Comments are closed.