Afghanistan: US airstrikes kill 35 pro-Daesh militants

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - At least 35 suspected pro-Daesh rebels were killed in eastern Afghanistan bordering Pakistan, in two separate airstrikes, Afghan officials said Friday.

Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor in eastern Nangarhar province, told Anadolu Agency the Afghan and U.S. forces conducted a joint air raid in the Haska Mena district on Thursday, killing 15 pro-Daesh militants and leaving five others wounded.

Nine Taliban militants were killed in an operation by the Afghan Air Force in Nangarhar’s Ghani Khel district, he added.

Also on Friday, 20 pro-Daesh militants were killed in Choki district in eastern Kunar province in a U.S. drone strike, Abdul Ghani, spokesman for the provincial governor said.

The local BBC Pashto service quoted some locals saying many civilians got hit in the drone strike.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan noted a 52 percent surge in civilian casualties due to airstrikes in the country, in the first nine months of this year. From Jan-Sep the mission documented 8,019 civilian casualties, which includes more than 2,600 deaths, a 6-percent decrease compared to the same period last year.

Notwithstanding this overall decrease, the mission reiterates its concern over continued civilian casualties from aerial attacks, particularly among women and children.

According to a U.S. Air Forces report, the Trump administration targeted the Taliban and Daesh groups with 751 airstrikes in Afghanistan in September alone.

This is a clear indication of mounting air offensives after the announcement of a new war strategy for the country this August.