US steps up drones in Afghanistan as fighting intensifies: MoD

After Obama’s new decision on expanding drone strikes in Afghanistan against the insurgents, the US military has intensifies its strikes, targeting Taliban’s training centers and prisons, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.

US troops who were not involved in direct combats in Afghanistan, now supports Afghan forces in the battle grounds and conducts airstrikes in cooperation with Afghan troops.

“Taliban’s training centers and prisons have been targeted in operations carried out by Afghan forces and US troops in Kudoz, Nangarhar, Helmand and Farah provinces,” Muhammad Radmanish, President’s deputy spokesman said.

Afghan Military officials consider the increase of US drones on Taliban effective in suppressing this group.

Meanwhile, Analysts say US forces should target Taliban’s financial sources to weakening the group.

The U.S. military has launched its first airstrikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan since President Barack Obama’s decision earlier this month to expand America’s involvement against the insurgents.

Obama’s decision comes as the Afghans struggle with a resurgent Taliban, particularly in the south. But the move is politically sensitive because President Obama had made clear his commitment to get U.S. forces out of Afghanistan. That effort, however, has been stalled by the slow pace of the development of the Afghan military and the resilience of the Taliban.

The pace of airstrikes presents a wild card in the tentative discussions between the Afghan government and the Taliban’s leadership over the possibility of peace negotiations.

The airstrikes could undermine the Taliban’s willingness to negotiate with the Afghan government and could indirectly strengthen the group’s legitimacy to an Afghan public that widely loathes the American airstrikes. Or, the airstrikes might give the Afghan government more leverage in negotiations.