Dave Decamp – AntiWar.com June 10, 2021
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Thursday said the US military has already begun so-called “over the horizon capabilities” for operations in Afghanistan, which is Pentagon jargon for spying on and bombing the country from outside its borders.
Austin told the Senate Armed Services Committee that combat and surveillance missions are being conducted in Afghanistan by aircraft that were either launched from aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf or from airbases that are located in Gulf nations. [Unclear against whom (vs the Taliban or vs ISIS) since there is supposed to be a US-Taliban ceasefire but which has been repeatedly broken by the US.]
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said the “vast majority” of MQ-9 Reaper drone missions inside Afghanistan are being flown from outside the country.
Austin declined to confirm a report from The New York Times that said the Pentagon was considering providing air support for the Afghan government in the event that a major city like Kabul appeared to be falling to the Taliban after US troops leave the country. Up until this point, US officials have only hinted at future airstrikes in Afghanistan after the withdrawal against groups like al-Qaeda or ISIS.
Authorizing limited strikes against the Taliban or any other groups inside Afghanistan after the withdrawal would just be a continuation of the war. The Taliban would also see it as a violation of the Doha agreement, which would make the group less likely to continue peace talks with the Afghan government.
Austin also told Congress that the Pentagon was still working on establishing a military base in a neighboring country to make bombing Afghanistan easier after the pullout. “What we are looking for is the ability to shorten the legs going forward by stationing some capability in neighboring countries. That is still a work in progress,” he said.
The US has reportedly tried to strike a basing deal with regional countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, or Uzbekistan. But so far, no agreements have been made. Pakistan has publicly denied that it would again host US troops, but the fact that US warplanes recently used Pakistani airspace to bomb Afghanistan raised questions about a possible secret deal between Islamabad and Washington.
On Tuesday, US Central Command said that the withdrawal process was over 50 percent complete, although the command is not disclosing troop numbers. When President Biden ordered the withdrawal, the US had somewhere between 2,500 and 3,500 troops in the country. Some are expected to stay behind to protect the US embassy in Kabul.
Just wonder ?? Those warrior flying a drone fro an aircond. office in the US, do they get awarded a medal for Valor after bombing a wedding in Afghanistan & if they fall from their chairs, do they get awarded the Purple Heart medal ??
Because seeing all that fruit salad on their chest ,men, women & other. I’m curious how did they get awarded all of it ??
@ Mr Reynard. I agree with what you say about these scumbags piloting drones from thousands of miles away and killing people in their own country and getting medals for it, but I think the Purple Heart is only awarded to people who show valor and who are wounded in the face of the enemy, and I think they have to survive the wound. I don’t think it’s awarded posthumously which is why there aren’t that many awarded.
That would exclude these long-distance drone killers who are so far away from their victims they couldn’t get much further away because if they tried they’d be coming back round the planet and getting closer. Even a service medal is too much for these butchers, much less an award for bravery, though I did read somewhere some of them have got PTSD after realising some of the things they’ve done.
Mr Reynard
the medals awarded began to be totally screwed up after 9/11. they were issued for all sorts of BS for bs reasons just so the ‘generals’ and other chair setters could ‘earn’ a medal.
yes, the little punk vomits get medals for falling off their chairs bombing wedding parties to take out one major ‘combatant’. BUT, the ‘purple hearts’ only get issued if they break a fingernail at the control during a bombing raid OR they shed a drop of blood via a paper cut or snagged skin during a bombing raid.
their ‘fruit salad’ is nothing but a ‘medal’ issued per each ‘official’ supposed overall ‘combat’ mission flown.