Alghadeer TV Alghadeer TV
US President Joe Biden has reportedly ordered the US Air Force to carry out air strike against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan using B-52 bombers and C-130 Specter gunships after the militants continued advancing towards major Afghan cities.
The B-52s are flying into Afghanistan from an airbase in Qatar, striking targets around key Afghan cities of Kandahar, Herat, and Lashkar Gah in Helmand Province, the UK-based The Times reported Saturday citing unidentified sources.
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber, which can carry up to 32 tons of bombs, the report noted, adding that the US military has further deployed armed Reaper drones and AC-130 gunships to target Taliban positions, flying at least five missions per day.
Citing “American defense sources” the report also emphasized that the US has “every intention” to continue with the airstrikes following the total withdrawal of its military forces from Afghanistan by August 31.
According to the British daily, the deployment of American bombers and gunships further highlights the degree of dependency of Afghan forces on US military support.
It also underlined that the Afghan air force still remains reliant on US-supplied aircraft, which are now left without spare parts and trained technicians following the departure of US contractors from the country.
The development has further raised questions about the reliability of persistent claims made over the years by the occupying US and NATO forces in Afghanistan that they have primarily been engaged in training Afghan government forces to independently safeguard the country’s security against various threats.
The report also pointed out that at least seven Afghan pilots had been killed after being targeted by Taliban militants, while others “are reportedly exhausted after relentless missions.”
While there has been no confirmation of the air strikes or possible damages by Taliban militants, Afghan Defense Ministry Spokesman Fawad Aman declared in a Twitter message on Saturday that the US B-52 bombers carried out airstrikes on Taliban militants in the capital of the Jawzjan Province, Sheberghan, in northern Afghanistan, insisting that they inflicted significant damages on the insurgents.
