KABUL: (MEP) General David Petraeus, the retired US Army mentioned unleashing airpower in support of the Afghan national security forces who are fighting a resurgent Taliban among deteriorating security situation.
“We should unleash our airpower in support of our Afghan partners in the same way that we support our Iraqi and Syrian partners against extremists.” Petraeus wrote in an Op-Ed published by Washington Post, adding that “We have the tools in place to step up our game considerably.”
Petraeus said US should adopt a new policy that expands airstrikes in Afghanistan to target a resurgent Taliban and an emerging threat posed by the loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group.
The Afghan Air Force received the first batch of 4 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft from United States on Friday which followed days after India delivered three Mi-25 gunship helicopters to Afghanistan.
The new additions in Afghan Air Force inventory are expected to increase the Afghan forces capabilities to suppress the Taliban-led insurgency by large extent.
President Obama’s desire to avoid large new ground commitments in the Middle East is, in many respects, understandable, given the experiences of some 15 years of war.
At present, however, the modest number of U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan operate with one hand tied behind their backs — at a time when Afghan forces, though fighting hard, are struggling. That should be changed.
