Kabul: The US launched an airstrike against Taliban fighters to defend Afghan forces on Wednesday, an American military spokesman said, as violence spirals after a string of deadly attacks by the insurgents, throwing the country's nascent peace process into grave doubt.
News of the airstrike in southern Helmand province -- the first in 11 days -- came hours after US President Donald Trump told reporters he had had a "very good" chat with the Taliban political chief, who on Saturday signed a historic deal with Washington to withdraw foreign forces.
Read: Taliban attack kills 20, throws peace talks into doubt
Since the signing in Doha however, the militants have ramped up violence against Afghan forces, ending a partial weeklong truce that provided a rare reprieve to war-weary residents.
US Forces-Afghanistan spokesman Sonny Leggett tweeted that the airstrike took place against Taliban fighters who were "actively attacking" an Afghan forces checkpoint in Helmand province.
"We call on the Taliban to stop needless attacks and uphold their commitments. As we have demonstrated, we will defend our partners when required," he said.
The insurgents had carried out 43 attacks on checkpoints in Helmand on Tuesday alone. The insurgents killed at least 20 Afghan soldiers and policemen in a series of overnight attacks, government officials told AFP Wednesday, casting a pall over peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban, due to begin on March 10.
The deal, signed by chief negotiators from the two sides and witnessed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, could see the withdrawal of all American and allied forces in the next 14 months and allow Trump to keep a key campaign pledge to extract the U.S. from endless wars.
Trump has touted the Doha deal as a way to end the bloody, 18-year US military presence in Afghanistan -- right in time for his November re-election bid.
Under the terms of the deal, US and other foreign forces will quit Afghanistan within 14 months, subject to Taliban security guarantees and a pledge by the insurgents to hold talks with the national government in Kabul.
The agreement also includes a commitment to exchange 5,000 Taliban prisoners held by the Afghan government in return for 1,000 captives -- something the militants have cited as a prerequisite for talks but which President Ashraf Ghani has refused to do before negotiations start.
(With inputs from AFP)
