The US is shifting combat and intelligence-gathering aircraft to Afghanistan as part of an intensified focus on the Taliban, now that the campaign against ISIL in Iraq and Syria is winding down, the commander of coalition air forces in Afghanistan said.
Air Force Maj. Gen. James Hecker told reporters at the Pentagon in a video teleconference from Kabul that on February 1 the US Central Command officially designated Afghanistan as its "main effort," supplanting the counter-ISIL campaign in Iraq and Syria. Central Command is responsible for all US military operations in the broader Middle East as well as Central Asia.
Maj. Gen. Hecker emphasised the importance of increased support from US intelligence agencies, whose analysis and expertise help the military identify targets to strike.
"This behind-the-scenes legwork allows us to hit the Taliban where it hurts most, whether it's command-and-control ... or their pocketbooks," Maj. Gen. Hecker said.
He explained that the US now has 50 per cent more MQ-9 Reaper drones providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in Afghanistan, compared with last year.
He said the US also has added A-10 attack planes and will be adding combat search-and-rescue aircraft.
Even as the US adds air power, the size and capabilities of the Afghan air force are growing, Maj. Ge. Hecker said. The Afghans are now conducting more strike missions than the Americans, he added.
"We are putting unrelenting pressure on the enemy these days," Maj. Gen. Hecker said, with a goal of compelling the Taliban to reconcile with the government. That goal has been pursued by US commanders in Afghanistan for much of the past 16-plus years, without success.
The Major acknowledged that air power alone is unlikely to do the trick.
"You're not just going to bomb them into submission," he said. "But it is another pressure point that we can put on them," in addition to ground combat operations led by the Afghan army and special operations forces.
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Read more:
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Afghan governor refuses to step down and will run for presidency
START-UPS%20IN%20BATCH%204%20OF%20SANABIL%20500'S%20ACCELERATOR%20PROGRAMME
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Specs – Taycan 4S
Engine: Electric
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 571bhp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh431,800
Specs – Panamera
Engine: 3-litre V6 with 100kW electric motor
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 455bhp
Torque: 700Nm
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RESULTS
Men – semi-finals
57kg – Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) beat Phuong Xuan Nguyen (VIE) 29-28; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) by points 30-27.
67kg – Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Huong The Nguyen (VIE) by points 30-27; Narin Wonglakhon (THA) v Mojtaba Taravati Aram (IRI) by points 29-28.
60kg – Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Amir Hosein Kaviani (IRI) 30-27; Long Doan Nguyen (VIE) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 29-28
63.5kg – Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Truong Cao Phat (VIE) 30-27; Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Norapat Khundam (THA) RSC round 3.
71kg – Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ) beat Fawzi Baltagi (LBN) 30-27; Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Man Kongsib (THA) 29-28
81kg – Ilyass Hbibali (UAE) beat Alexandr Tsarikov (KAZ) 29-28; Khaled Tarraf (LBN) beat Mustafa Al Tekreeti (IRQ) 30-27
86kg – Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Mohammed Al Qahtani (KSA) RSC round 1; Emil Umayev (KAZ) beat Ahmad Bahman (UAE) TKO round
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
