Air
attacks by Afghan and international forces caused a total of 590
civilian casualties in 2016 (250 deaths and 340 people injured),
almost double that of 2015.
by
Jack Serle
Part
3 - Resurgent Taliban versus hamstrung Afghan forces
The US and
its allies from Nato and other international partners are faced with
a dilemma. The Taliban is resurgent and the Afghan forces, hamstrung
by poor logistics, leadership and corruption, are struggling.
They have
needed more and more international support but NATO’s Resolute
Support Mission (RSM), led by the US, has seen its numbers dwindle
since the end of combat operations in December 2014. This means the
Americans are trying to fight an insurgency largely from the air.
US air
attacks have increased by around 50% since 2015 – largely thanks to
a change in rules in June that meant the Americans could specifically
target the Taliban. Before then only al Qaeda and Islamic State could
be specifically targeted.
A surge in
the number of American strikes from July through to October appeared
to be the result of the US trying to cut down the Taliban and keep
the Afghans holding the line.
Air support
is crucial in the fight against the Taliban. Strikes stop the
insurgents from massing in large numbers because such formations
present too easy a target. Strikes are also essential to save
soldiers pinned down in insurgent attacks.
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