U.S Ramps Up Air Strikes Against Daesh

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شنبه 29 حوت 1394 ساعت 16:37 نوشته شده توسط New York Times

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In the past two months, the U.S has fired off 251 bombs and missiles in drone and air strikes against Daesh in what is a marked increase against the same period last year.

According to the New York Times, this is part of President Barak Obama’s efforts to eliminate the group that recently emerged in Afghanistan and seized territory outside Iraq and Syria.

The newspaper reported that the 251 strikes carried out in January and February in Afghanistan were more than three times the number of strikes in the same period last year, according to data compiled by the Air Force.

This comes after Obama gave U.S troops more leeway to launch attacks on Daesh.

But the report stated that although the strikes have dealt a heavy blow to Daesh, Afghan and American commanders are conceed about the overall security situation in Afghanistan as the Taliban appear stronger than at any point since 2001.

The report states that the Taliban’s estimated 20,000 to 40,000 fighters are thought to be at least 20 times the number of militants aligned with Daesh.

But the increase in airstrikes in Afghanistan has set off a debate in Washington, among national security experts, with some questioning whether the administration should treat each emerging Daesh affiliate as a legitimate threat to the United States that requires a military response, or whether the focus should be more on the Taliban than Daesh, reported the New York Times.

It stated that under the current rules of engagement ordered by Obama, U.S troops can attack the Taliban if they pose a direct threat to those forces but the military has far more latitude to engage fighters from Daesh.

Gen. John F. Campbell, the departing American commander in Afghanistan, said that broader authority granted to him by Obama to attack Daesh fighters had enabled him to take more aggressive measures against the terrorist group.

“We’ve significantly increased our ability to go after ISIL (Daesh), particularly in Nangarhar,” Campbell said.

But a Pentagon spokesman, Jeff Davis, said Friday: “Although considerable challenges remain, the department is confident that the Afghan security forces are continuing to develop the capabilities and capacity to secure the country against a persistent insurgent threat.”