US ARMY TARGETS HIGH-LEVEL TALIBAN COMMANDERS IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN

FILE IMAGE: M142 high-mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) launcher

On May 24, the US Army in Afghanistan annonced in an official statement that its Task Force-Southwest targeted a high-level headquarter of the Taliban in the Musa Qala district of the southern Helmand province with a M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

The US Army claimed that prominent commanders of the Taliban had planned and facilitated several attacks against the Afghan Army and security forces in the targeted headquarter. However, the results of the rocket strike were not revealed.

“One way we support our Afghan partners is with kinetic strikes so that they are able to maintain the offensive … Strikes like this one not only degrade Taliban operations, but also give our partners the ability to maintain continuous pressure against a weakened enemy.” said U.S. Marine Corps Brigade General Benjamin T. Watson, Task Force-Southwest commander.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Yousef Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Taliban, denied the US Army’s claims and said that the rocket strike had destroyed two civilian compounds in the Musa Qala district. Ahmadi also claimed that two civilians had been killed and six others had been injured in the strike.

The rocket strike was aimed at damaging the command chain of the Taliban and weakening the group ability to launch coordinated attacks against the Afghan Army and security forces, according to observers, who believe that the upcoming months will witness more similar strikes.

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