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Old 9th Aug 2021, 06:30
  #62 (permalink)  
ORAC
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
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Things rapidly falling apart, including the Afghan Air Force - I don’t think a few B-52 air strikes are making much difference

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/a...ties-9svhbk0dt

Afghan pilots quit as Taliban take five cities in three days

Afghanistan slid towards collapse yesterday as the Taliban stormed three more cities and pilots deserted the air force after a colleague was murdered.

Five provincial capitals have fallen to the insurgents in three days as militants overran the northern cities of Kunduz, Sar-e Pol and Taloqan. A Taliban offensive left more than a dozen cities under siege after the dam burst on Friday as the western city of Zaranj fell without a shot being fired.

The northern city of Sheberghan capitulated on Saturday, after days of fighting. Other provincial capitals were on the brink of defeat.

Morale in the air force took a blow on Saturday when a helicopter pilot was killed in Kabul by a bomb attached to his car. The Taliban claimed the murder of Hamidullah Azimi, who was trained to fly US Black Hawks. He was the eighth Afghan pilot to be murdered in recent weeks.

The US-trained air force is pivotal to the defence against the Taliban. One pilot told The Times that at least 19 colleagues had fled the military, fearing assassination.

“I have been flying for ten years,” he said. “From the day I put on my uniform I swore to defend my country until the last drop of blood . . . but seeing my friends assassinated . . . I do not feel safe. I have to change the car I use every single day, borrowing my friends’ cars to drive to work. I can’t spend time outside my home. I can’t go shopping, not even get a haircut, to protect my identity and reduce the risk.”

With no air force the Taliban began to “target and eliminate” Afghan air force pilots. The pilot said that the strategy was working. He urged the government to move personnel and their families to military bases for safety.

“About 19 pilots left the job,” he said. “I am considering leaving my job. If the government can guarantee my family’s safety I will stay on base and fight for ever.”…..

The Afghan defence ministry said a counterattack had begun in Kunduz but its grip on the northern region appears to be slipping. The head of the provincial council for Sar-e Pol confirmed that the capital had fallen and fighting raged in Sheberghan, the capital of Jowzjan province.….

US and Afghan forces launched airstrikes, pounding Taliban positions. One insurgent commander dismissed the attacks from US bases and a carrier in the Gulf. He said: “America spent 20 years in Afghanistan and ultimately fled under a deal to save face. These airstrikes . . . will not last much longer.”….

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