U.S. military officials in Afghanistan say airstrikes have killed at least four Islamic State terrorists in eastern Afghanistan as a weeklong reduced fighting truce between U.S.-backed Afghan security forces and the Taliban insurgency entered its fourth day without any significant breaches.
The two counterterrorism airstrikes Tuesday focused on areas in the Afghan province of Kunar, which houses Islamic State bases and borders Pakistan, the U.S. military spokesman tweeted.
“We continue to eliminate ISIS terrorists wherever they hide to protect Afghanistan while honoring U.S.-Afghan-Taliban agreement to reduce the violence,” stressed Col. Sonny Leggett in reference to the Middle Eastern terrorist group.
The 7-day nationwide “reduction in violence” is to culminate on Saturday with the signing of a U.S.-Taliban agreement to end to the 18-year-old Afghan war, America’s longest.“
If it works out over the next less-than-a-week, I would put my name on it, yes. Time to come home,” Trump said Sunday before his departure to India when asked whether he intended to sign the agreement with the Taliban.
The signing ceremony will be held on Saturday in the gulf state of Qatar, which played host to contentious off-and-on U.S.-Taliban negotiations spread over18 months.
The draft agreement the dialogue has produced provides a timetable for the withdrawal of American and coalition forces from Afghanistan, Taliban counterterrorism guarantees, and a dialogue process for political reconciliation between Afghan parties to the conflict.
