US B-52 Bombers Strike Taliban Targets in Northern Afghanistan
17:57 GMT 07.08.2021 (Updated: 13:21 GMT 06.08.2022)
© Spc. Nathaniel FreeA U.S. B-52 Stratofortress bomber and two F-18 Hornets are accompanied by a Moroccan F-5 Tiger II fighter jet over an impact range near Tan Tan, Morocco, April 20, 2018.
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US B-52 Stratofortress bombers have launched airstrikes on Taliban* forces (terrorist organisation, banned in Russia) in the capital of Jawzjan Province, Sheberghan, in northern Afghanistan, inflicting significant damage on the militants, Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman Fawad Aman said on Saturday.
"[The] Taliban's gathering was targeted by B-52 in #Shebergan city, Jawzjan province today evening at 6:30pm [14:00 GMT]. The #terrorists have suffered heavy casualties as a result of US Air Forces #airstrike", Aman tweeted.
#Details: More than 200 terrorist Taliban were killed in #Cheberghan city after Air Forces targeted their gathering and hideouts today evening. A large amount of their weapons and ammunition and more than 100s of their vehicles were destroyed as a result of the airstrikes.
— Fawad Aman (@FawadAman2) August 7, 2021
Earlier in the day, The Times reported that the US had dispatched B-52 bombers and Spectre gunships to Afghanistan to suppress the territorial advances of the Taliban in the provinces of Kandahar, Herat, Lashkargah, and Helmand.
On Saturday, the Taliban announced that the group had seized the southwestern province of Nimruz and the northern province of Jawzjan. The capital of Nimruz, Zaranj, was the first provincial centre the terrorist movement has captured since 2016.
Afghanistan is seeing a spike in violence now as the Taliban has stepped up an offensive after international troops started gradually withdrawing from the country. The latter is scheduled to be completed by September 11th. The pullout was stipulated in an agreement reached by the Taliban and the United States in Doha in February 2020.
* The Taliban is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.