ABOUT US  |  CONTACT US  |  RSS  |  ARCHIVE  |  2024-03-28  |  UPDATED: 1402/11/15 - 18:13:1 FA | AR | PS | EN
Formation of the Federalist Assembly of Afghanistan             Israel launches missile attack on outskirts of Damascus, killing Syrian civilians             UK national scandal: 20,000 mental health patients raped, sexually assaulted in NHS care             Three US troops killed, dozens injured in drone attack in Syria             Trump says NATO will not come to rescue if US attacked             Ukraine beset by $40m fraud in arms procurement amid war with Russia            US approves sale of F-16 jets to Turkey after Ankara ratifies Swedens NATO membership             UNSC to meet to discuss ICJ ruling on Israeli genocide in Gaza             Taliban: Afghanistan Does Not Have Formal Border With Pakistan             Gazas major health facility collapses amid Israeli attacks: MSF             Americans to redeploy nuclear weapons in UK amid fears of WW3             Biden makes history: 1st sitting US president sued for complicity in genocide             Trump walks out of courtroom during closing arguments of Carrolls attorney            US: 3 dead in shooting at Texas apartment complex            US-UK aggression against Yemen risks expansion of war: Iran            


DATE PUBLISHED: 1400/03/20 - 11:17:2
VISIT: 885
SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS

US weighs possibility of airstrikes in Afghanistan after troops withdrawal


The file photo shows US army soldiers walking as a NATO helicopter flies overhead in the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan.(Photo by AFP)

The Pentagon is weighing the option of conducting airstrikes in Afghanistan after the full withdrawal of American troops from the country if the capital Kabul or another major city is in danger of falling to the Taliban militant group.

US military officials are actively discussing how to respond if the rapid withdrawal of US forces from the war-ravaged country produces consequences with substantial national security implications, a new report by The New York Times revealed on Wednesday, quoting anonymous US officials.

One option is that the United States warplanes or armed drones intervene in an extraordinary crisis, such as the potential fall of Kabul or a siege that puts American and allied embassies and citizens at risk, the report said, though no decisions have been made yet.

The development comes as US President Joe Biden and his top national security aides had previously said that once US troops leave Afghanistan, air support would end as well, with the exception of strikes for counterterrorism reasons, in case there was intelligence about efforts to attack American interests.

The officials further noted that any additional airstrikes would require the presidents approval, stressing that even then, such air support would be hard to sustain given the fact that the US will leave all its air bases in Afghanistan by next month, and any airstrikes would most likely have to be launched from bases in the Persian Gulf.

A potential fall of Kabul is the crisis most likely to lead to military intervention after US troops leave, officials said, adding that Washington is not likely to provide additional air support to Afghan forces in rural areas, many of which are already under Taliban control.

This comes as Afghan officials have said they had been told by their American counterparts that the United States would stop any takeover of major cities, a vague statement without any clear backing.

That support would be tough to maintain over any extended period.

"Its a very hard thing to do," said Gen. Joseph L. Votel, the former commander of United States Central Command. "Its an operation to get aircraft to Afghanistan, especially if youre having to come from the [Persian] Gulf or an aircraft carrier. There is limited loiter time for them to do anything."

The latest discussion of providing further air support suggests the degree of concern in Washington about the ability of Afghanistans military to hold off the Taliban and maintain control of Kabul and other major cities.

A spokesman for the White Houses National Security Council declined to comment on the options under discussion, saying the Biden administration did not publicly discuss rules of engagement.

But officials say there appears to be some new flexibility in the interpretation of counterterrorism. They say a debate has arisen in the administration over what, exactly, is the threshold for turmoil in Afghanistan that could lead to American airstrikes.

Biden in April announced all American troops would withdraw from Afghanistan by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the attacks in the US that Washington used as a pretext to invade and occupy the country despite the fact that no Afghan national was involved in the attacks.

His remarks coincided with US intelligence agencies claiming that the Taliban could overrun most of Afghanistan within two to three years if the American forces left the country before a power-sharing deal was reached between the warring parties.

A number of American officials that favor the stay of US troops in Afghanistan have been using the intelligence report to argue that the soldiers should remain beyond the deadline.

Some observers also worry that with foreign troops gone, Afghanistan will witness a rise in violence. But Afghan officials say that cannot be further from the truth, as Afghan forces are well-equipped to fight any security threat rapidly and effectively.

Democratic Congressman Tom Malinowski, who joined more than half a dozen other House Democrats and Republicans in urging Biden to provide an array of support to the Afghan government after American troops leave, said, "Our policy should be to do everything possible, consistent with not having troops on the ground, to enable the legitimate Afghan government and security forces to hold on."

When asked at a Pentagon news conference last month if Afghan cities were in danger of being overrun by the Taliban after American forces left, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III declined to say whether the United States would provide air support, saying it was a hypothetical situation.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the top US diplomat leading peace efforts with the Taliban, issued last month what seemed to be a definitive statement on the matter.

"We will do what we can during our presence until the forces are withdrawn, to help the Afghan forces, including coming to their defense when they are attacked," he told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "But once we are out of Afghanistan, direct military support of Afghan forces such as strikes in support of their forces, thats not being contemplated at this time."

Under a February 2020 "peace" deal between the Taliban and the administration of former US President Donald Trump, Washington vowed to withdraw all 2,500 US troops remaining in Afghanistan by May 1, 2021. In return, the Taliban pledged to stop attacks on US troops. The Biden administration, however, missed that deadline and pushed the date back to September 11.

The Taliban have said the United States has breached its agreement with the group for the troop withdrawal and has ramped up attacks across Afghanistan, including a recent upsurge in killings of journalists, aid workers and government employees.

The US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 under the pretext of the so-called war against terror. Washington has spent trillions of dollars waging war on the impoverished country, which has left thousands of Afghan civilians and American soldiers dead.

Biden, like his predecessor, has promised to end the longest US conflict and bring American soldiers back home.

Roughly 7,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan rely on the US for logistics and security support and will also have to pull out if the American forces withdraw.

 

LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/22931


TAGS:






*
*

*



SEE ALSO

Formation of the Federalist Assembly of Afghanistan


Taliban: Afghanistan Does Not Have Formal Border With Pakistan


Pedram: The Abduction of Hazara and Tajik Women Recalls the Crimes of Abdur Rahman


Special envoys from G7 countries discuss Afghanistan in London meeting


UNAMA report: 49 Hazara community members killed in Afghanistan in three months


Generations of Pakistan and Afghanistan who fell victim to suicide attacks


UNAMA urges increased protection for Afghanistans Hazara community after Kabul attack


Explosion reported in Kabul , casualties still unknown


UN expert demands immediate release of women detained by Taliban for bad hijab


Resolution Shows UNSC Support for Reintegration of Afghanistan: Miller





VIEWED
MOST DISCUSSED




POLL

Modi, Merkel Discuss Afghanistan, Radicalisation And Terrorism

SEE RESULT


LAST NEWS

Federalism in Afghanistan: Opportunities and Challenges

Formation of the Federalist Assembly of Afghanistan

Israel launches missile attack on outskirts of Damascus, killing Syrian civilians

UK national scandal: 20,000 mental health patients raped, sexually assaulted in NHS care

Three US troops killed, dozens injured in drone attack in Syria

Trump says NATO will not come to rescue if US attacked

Ukraine beset by $40m fraud in arms procurement amid war with Russia

US approves sale of F-16 jets to Turkey after Ankara ratifies Swedens NATO membership

UNSC to meet to discuss ICJ ruling on Israeli genocide in Gaza

Taliban: Afghanistan Does Not Have Formal Border With Pakistan

Gazas major health facility collapses amid Israeli attacks: MSF

Americans to redeploy nuclear weapons in UK amid fears of WW3

Biden makes history: 1st sitting US president sued for complicity in genocide

Trump walks out of courtroom during closing arguments of Carrolls attorney

US: 3 dead in shooting at Texas apartment complex

US-UK aggression against Yemen risks expansion of war: Iran

Yemen directly hits US warship with ballistic missile

Hamas has self-reliantly opposed the three giant intelligence agencies of the world!

President Raeisi calls for UN reform, says body unable to end Gaza genocide

Pedram: The Abduction of Hazara and Tajik Women Recalls the Crimes of Abdur Rahman

Special envoys from G7 countries discuss Afghanistan in London meeting

Turkish lawmakers open debate over Swedens NATO membership

UN agency says over half a million Palestinians face catastrophic hunger in Gaza

Palestinian Islamic Jihad: Al-Maghazi operation proved defeat of Israeli regime in Gaza war

European support for Israel damaging energy security on the continent, report says

Pakistan Army Kills Seven Terrorists Near Afghan Border

Israel kills at least 190 people in Khan Younis in 24 hours

UNAMA report: 49 Hazara community members killed in Afghanistan in three months

Indias Modi inaugurates Hindu temple on site of razed mosque ahead of elections

US 2024 election: DeSantis drops out of Republican presidential race, backs Trump

Survivors of Russian charter flight crash transferred to Kabul

Irans anti-terror strikes clear message to certain recipients: Foreign Ministry

Ethnic mass killings in one Sudan city last year left up to 15,000 dead: UN report

Iran says reserves right to avenge Israels assassination of IRGC advisors

Rocket barrage targets Ain al-Asad base housing US forces in western Iraq

Lebanese media: Israeli drone kills 2 Hamas members in southern Lebanon

Five IRGC advisors assassinated in Israeli aggression on Syria

Pakistan recalls ambassador from Tehran

Iraqi PM stresses to NATO chief ending of foreign troops

UN chief reiterates call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza


MEDICAL NEWS


ANSAR PRESS  |  ABOUT US  |  CONTACT US  |  MOBILE VERSION  |  LINKS  |  DESIGN: Negah Network Co.
All right reserved. Use this website by mentioning the source (link) is allowed. Ԑ یی