Pentagon Threatens to Ramp Up Airstrikes Against Taliban if Group ‘Continues Attacks’ - Sputnik International

The United States has been increasing its air strike missions in Afghanistan, and will continue to do so if the Taliban continues its offensive operations, US Central Command (USCENTCOM) Chief Gen. Kenneth McKenzie has announced.

    "The United States has increased air strikes in the support of Afghan forces over the last several days, and we are prepared to continue this heightened level of support in the coming weeks if the Taliban continues their attacks," McKenzie told reporters in Kabul on Sunday.

The commander did not clarify whether US strikes would continue after 31 August, by which point all US and NATO troops are expected to be withdrawn.

    Emphasising that a Taliban victory in the Afghan civil war was not "inevitable," McKenzie admitted that Kabul government would face "hard days ahead" in its fight against the Islamist militia. "The Taliban are attempting to create a sense of inevitability about their campaign. They are wrong," the general stressed.

US air strikes against the Taliban appear to be a violation of the February 2020 Doha agreement, which committed US forces not to attack the Islamist militia if they were not themselves attacked by the group directly.