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Agencies:

U.S carries out air strikes on Taliban in Helmand

New Delhi
October 13, 2020

The United States carried out several airstrikes against Taliban fighters in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, the spokesman for the U.S military in Afghanistan said on Monday. The strikes, carried out over the last two days, mark a rare military intervention by the U.S since it signed an agreement on troop withdrawal with the Taliban in February.

Col Sonny Leggett, the spokesman for the U.S military in Afghanistan, on Twitter confirmed that the American forces conducted over the past couple of days several airstrikes in support of Afghan security force under attack by Taliban in the southern Helmand province.

Legget also said that the strikes over the past two days in Helmand did not violate the US Taliban agreement signed in February.

"Over the past two days USFOR-A has conducted several targeted strikes in Helmand to defend ANDSF forces under attack by Taliban fighters, consistent with the US-Taliban agreement. USFOR-A has & will continue to provide support in defense of the ANDSF under attack by the Taliban," Col Sonny Leggett tweeted.

"The Taliban need to immediately stop their offensive actions in Helmand Province and reduce their violence around the country. It is not consistent with the US Taliban agreement and undermines the ongoing Afghan Peace talks," Leggett, in another tweet, said quoting Gen Scott Miller, the Commander of the U.S Forces in Afghanistan.