US bombs terror camps in Afghan province near Chinese border

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‍The US forces in Afghanistan have reportedly carried out airstrikes against militant networks in the war-torn country’s border region with China and Tajikistan

The strikes in northern Afghanistan's Badakhshan province destroyed Taliban training camps which support militant operations in Afghanistan as well as operations by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) in the neighboring countries, a NATO-led mission said in a release on Thursday.

"The US strikes in Afghanistan is to reassure its neighbors that it is not a safe sanctuary for terrorists who want to carry out cross-border operations," it said.

In this photograph taken on October 26, 2015, residents stand on the roof of a house in Faizabad, town of Afghanistan's Badakhshan Province after a powerful earthquake hit the Central Asian nation. /VCG Photo

The statement echoed claims by a top US military commander, who made similar assertions at a Pentagon press conference on Wednesday.

"Over the past weekend, United States forces conducted air operations to strike Taliban and East Turkestan Islamic Movement, or ETIM, training facilities in Badakhshan province. The destruction of these training facilities prevent terrorists from planning any acts near the border with China and Tajikistan," Air Force Maj. Gen. James Hecker, Commander of the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force, said.

“The strikes also destroyed stolen Afghan National Army vehicles in the process of being converted to vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices," he added.

The US, Britain and the United Nations have listed the ETIM as a terrorist group.

Cover Photo: Afghan officials inspect the site of a truck bomb attack in Helmand, Afghanistan, on November 10, 2017. /Reuters Photo

The US commander said that the latest airstrikes are “just one part of the effort in Afghanistan, but it’s a very intimidating one,” against the Taliban. “The Taliban trembles as they hear our approach,” he said.

“So now they have a constant eye to the sky, as we force them to engage our actual battlefield, where the Afghans are attacking from all sides. The Taliban is looking up, not down, not across at their enemy, and we are seeing results," he added.

At the Pentagon briefing, videos of strikes by a B-52 bombers on two different Taliban training camps in Badakhshan were played out. Another video of strikes against a narcotics production facility and a van carrying Taliban fighters in Helmand Province was also shown.

"What allowed this impressive air power to be unleashed was a critical modification that we made to the B-52… in late November, installing a conventional rotary launcher that allows B-52s to carry more precision-guided munitions,” Hecker elaborated.

“As many of you are aware, Afghanistan has become CENTCOM's main effort, thanks to the recent successes in Iraq and Syria. This has allowed CENTCOM to shift more assets our way, which will significantly improve our ability to assist the Afghans," he said.

US President Donald Trump in August unveiled a more hawkish military approach, including a surge in air attacks, aimed at forcing the Taliban to the negotiating table.

Cover Photo: A US Marine watches Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers during a training in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 5, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Hecker, however, contended that the Taliban can’t just be “bombed into submission.”

"I agree, you are not just going to bomb them into submission, but it is another pressure point that we can put on them. You know we have several things we are trying to do here,” he said.

“We have diplomatic pressures with our President and our State Department are putting on neighboring countries, to make sure that they don't enable any terrorist activity,” he added.

The military commander also stressed that the US troops are coordinating with the Afghan National Army to ensure that the government in Kabul gains control over at least 80 percent of the population.

The Taliban has made gains in the country after NATO withdrew most of its combat troops in late 2014.

UD President Donald Trump (right) with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Manila, Philippines, ‍November 13, 2017. /VCG Photo

Meanwhile, President Trump spoke with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and discussed the situation in Afghanistan along with the political crisis in the Maldives and the plight of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, the White House said.

Both the leaders reiterated their commitment to Afghanistan's security, the statement added. Washington recently cut aid to Pakistan, India's nuclear-armed neighbor and arch-rival, over accusations it failed to root out Taliban and Haqqani network militants that have contributed to the long-running war in Afghanistan.

India has increased aid to Afghanistan in recent years and promised in 2016 to ship more arms, aggravating fears in Pakistan it will become wedged between two hostile nations.

(With input from agencies)

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