U.S offers further air support to Afghan troops

The U.S. may be withdrawing its troops from Afghanitan, but on Sunday it said it would continue to carry out airstrikes to support Afghan forces facing attacks from the Taliban.

U.S. Marine General Kenneth McKenzie spoke at a news conference in the capital Kabul.

"The United States has increased air strikes in the support of Afghan forces over the last several days, and we are prepared to continue this heightened level of support in the coming weeks, if the Taliban continue their attacks. "

The Taliban has ramped up its offensive in recent weeks and gained more ground in both cities and rural districts.

The U.N. on Monday reported that nearly 2,400 Afghan civilians were killed or injured in May and June.

It's the highest for those two months since records started in 2009.

All this comes after U.S. President Joe Biden said in April, U.S. troops will be completely withdrawn by September.

That will put an end to two decades of foreign military presence there.

McKenzie did not say whether U.S. forces would continue airstrikes after the end of their military mission on August 31.

He did however say that a Taliban victory was not inevitable.

"There're gonna be hard days ahead, but there is a path that can lead us to a political solution to this war."

Almost a year of peace talks between Afghanistan's government and the Taliban have had little effect on the war.

And after a lull over a Muslim holiday this week, McKenzie said there would likely be a rise in violence.