U.S. Calls in Airstrikes to Defend Afghan Allies Amid Exit

U.S. military aircraft have been hitting ground targets in Afghanistan in an effort to protect allies, according to U.S. Central Command, as the Taliban makes rapid advances in the void left by withdrawing American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops. “U.S. forces have conducted several airstrikes in defense of our Afghan partners in recent days,” U.S. Air Force Maj. Nicole Ferrara, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson, said by email. She declined to provide specifics on the aircraft involved. President Joe Biden ordered B-52 bombers and AC-130 Spectre gunships to strike enemy fighters advancing toward Kandahar and other cities, the Daily Mail reported on Saturday. A National Security Council spokesman referred questions to the Defense Department. The Taliban will avenge U.S. airstrikes with “full strength,” spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said in an emailed statement on Sunday, adding that the U.S. targeted civilian infrastructure such as hospitals and schools in the southern Helmand province. The last U.S. ground forces are scheduled to leave Afghanistan by Aug. 31. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Saturday urged U.S. citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately “using available commercial flight options,” according to a statement on its website that cited “the security conditions and reduced staffing.” The Taliban has been gaining territory and taking over customs posts at Afghan border crossings, seizing much of the government’s revenue. It now controls half of the country’s 419 districts, and the militants are putting pressure on the provincial capitals, General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last month. Afghan security forces are consolidating around the cities as Taliban fighters attempt to isolate those population centers, he said. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Subscribe to our newest channel Quicktake Explained: https://bit.ly/3iERrup Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit https://bloom.bg/2UdVC2M, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://bit.ly/2J5MnQe Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://bit.ly/35epL8Q Instagram: https://bit.ly/32sC5jW