US conducts first airstrike on Taliban since peace deal

The US military on Wednesday said it had conducted an airstrike against Taliban forces, just days after signing a historic peace deal with the militant group. 

In a tweet, US military spokesman Colonel Sonny Legget said it was a "defensive strike" to counter an assault on government forces in Afghanistan. 

This was the first US strike on Taliban forces in 11 days. The two parties had agreed to reduce violence in the lead up to signing the peace deal this past weekend. 

The militant group has ramped up violence in recent days despite the deal, casting doubt on peace talks between it and the Afghan government scheduled for March 10.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg spoke out later on Wednesday, telling the Taliban that if it violated the ceasefire and targeted Afghan government troops, NATO forces would remain in the country.

"We need to see a reduction in violence and avoid undermining the agreement," he said. "We will only reduce our presence if the Taliban adhere to the agreement they signed."

Escalating violence

On Tuesday, several attacks were carried out against Afghan forces in nine provinces, a Ministry of Defense spokesperson said. This resulted in the death of at least 14 security force members. 

Leggett accused the Taliban of "squandering" the opportunity for peace and called on the group to uphold their commitment to the agreement. Taliban leaders had promised to reduce violence and attacks, Legget said, adding that the US would defend its partners when necessary.

Read more: US-Taliban deal — a victory for Islamists?

The Taliban has not claimed responsibility for the attack, but spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the Associated Press that the week of reduced violence had now ended. 

Taliban leaders and US peace enovy Zalmay Khalilzad on Saturday had signed an agreement that laid out a path for the conditional withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, where they have been present since 2001. 

kp,es/msh (AP, dpa, Reuters)

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