US to continue Taliban airstrikes amid warning over Afghanistan's 'grim and chilling trajectory'

Afghan security forces launch operations against the Taliban around Torkham border point in Nangarhar province - Anadolu Agency
Afghan security forces launch operations against the Taliban around Torkham border point in Nangarhar province - Anadolu Agency

The US will continue launching airstrikes against the Taliban while it withdraws from Afghanistan, amid warnings that civilian deaths could soon be the highest in more than a decade due to a surge in violence by the militant group.

“The United States has increased airstrikes in support of Afghan forces over the last several days and we’re prepared to continue this heightened level of support in the coming weeks if the Taliban continue their attacks,” said US Marine General Kenneth McKenzie.

The top American commander in Afghanistan declined to comment on whether the US would continue air strikes against Taliban forces after the last of its troops leave the country on August 31.

“The government of Afghanistan faces a stern test in the days ahead… The Taliban are attempting to create a sense of inevitability about their campaign,” he said.

While much of the fighting in May and June occurred in rural areas, the Taliban is now expected to target the country's more heavily populated urban centres following a lull last week due to the Muslim Eid-ul-Adha festival.

This could prove catastrophic for Afghan civilians, the UN has warned.

The UN said on Monday that Afghan civilian casualties were so far higher in 2021 than the same period in any year since it began systematic record-keeping in 2009.

There was a nearly 50 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, with 1,659 civilians killed and 3,254 wounded, according to the UN mission in Afghanistan.

It noted a sharp increase in casualties since May, when the last American and Nato soldiers began leaving Afghanistan and the Taliban launched a major offensive. The group now controls half of Afghanistan's 419 districts and 90 percent of the country’s border crossings.

Without a significant reduction in violence, the UN said the country was on track for 2021 to be the bloodiest for civilians in over a decade.

"I implore the Taliban and Afghan leaders to take heed of the conflict's grim and chilling trajectory and its devastating impact on civilians," said Deborah Lyons, the UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan.

Afghan men try to identify dead bodies at a hospital after an explosion near a school west of Kabul in May - AP
Afghan men try to identify dead bodies at a hospital after an explosion near a school west of Kabul in May - AP

The Taliban denied causing civilian casualties.

"In the past six months, the Mujahideen of the IE (Islamic Emirate) have not deliberately killed civilians anywhere or carried out attacks that could have resulted in civilian casualties," the Taliban said in a statement.

Meanwhile the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq is expected to be at the centre of discussions between President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, who is due to visit the White House on Monday.

"There is no need for any foreign combat forces on Iraqi soil," Mr al-Kadhimi told The Associated Press.

The beleaguered Iraqi premier is under pressure from pro-Iranian Iraqi militias who demand the withdrawal of 2,500 American troops still stationed in Iraq, ostensibly to combat Islamic State group remnants.

Last week IS claimed a suicide bombing at a Baghdad market that killed 30 people.

Rather than withdrawing US soldiers, President Biden is expected to announce an end to combat operations by the end of the year and a rebranded US mission in Iraq.

"We're talking about shifting to a new phase in the campaign in which we very much complete the combat mission against ISIS and shift to an advisory and training mission by the end of the year," a senior Biden administration official said Monday, using an alternative acronym for IS.