Top American military commanders in Afghanistan successfully pressed Obama to reverse earlier restrictions on the use of air strikes, clearing the way for a spike in attacks on Islamic State and Taliban targets. Other air strikes can be conducted in defense of U.S. and international military advisors, as well as some Afghan troops. The nascent Afghan air force has also nearly doubled its air strikes, U.S. officials said, but has yet to fully take over the air war against Taliban and other insurgents. “(U.S.) air strikes are very important and we need them for a longer time to tackle our enemies,” Afghan Ministry of Defense spokesman Dawlat Waziri said. The U.S. Army also deploys its own Apache attack helicopters, and have been observed supporting Afghan troops in places like Kunduz.

Source: Egypt Independent October 26, 2016 06:00 UTC