[ad_1]
Officials said Hamidullah Azimi, an Afghan Air Force pilot, died when a sticky bomb was attached to his vehicle.
Officials said an Afghan Air Force pilot was killed in a bomb explosion in Kabul claimed by the Taliban.
Officials said the pilot Hamidullah Azimi died when his vehicle exploded on Saturday, adding that five civilians were injured in the explosion.
The commander of the Afghan Air Force Abdul Fatah Eshakzai told Reuters that Azimi had received training to fly a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter made by the United States and served in the Afghan Air Force for nearly four years.
Eshaqzai added that he moved to Kabul with his family a year ago due to security threats.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed in a statement that the attack had occurred.
Reuters first detailed the Taliban’s assassination of pilots outside the base. Afghan officials said the operation killed at least seven Afghan pilots before they were killed on Saturday.
The Taliban have confirmed a plan that will enable Afghan pilots trained by the United States to be “targeted and eliminated.”
U.S. and Afghan officials believe that as fighting escalates across the country, this is deliberately destroying Afghanistan’s troops composed of military pilots trained by the United States and NATO.
The Taliban without an air force hope to create a level playing field when they launch a major ground offensive. Since May, they have quickly seized territory.
Encouraged by Washington’s announcement that it will end its military mission at the end of August, the Taliban launched a military blitz across the country. Gained momentum The last few days.
On Friday, the Taliban seized the first provincial capital in years Controlled Zaranje, On the border between Nimruz Province in southern Afghanistan and Iran.
Saturday, the Taliban Capture the city of Shebogan, The city’s deputy governor told AFP.
The deputy governor of Shebel Khan in Jazcan Province, Kadel Maria, said that government forces and officials have retreated to the airport on the outskirts of the northern city of Afghanistan, preparing to defend themselves there.
While the Taliban focused on other cities, the Afghan Air Force played a key role in stopping it.
A few days ago, the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) stated in a report to the US Congress that another “worrying development” for the Afghan Air Force was for the Afghan Air Force, which is experiencing a surge in growth. Get out of it. In battle.
In its quarterly report to June, SIGAR described the increasing tension of the Air Force and its inadequate preparation for combat.
The readiness rate of its UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter fleet reached 39% in June, about half the level of April and May.
“Due to increased requirements for close air support, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance missions, and air supplies, all aircraft platforms are overburdened. [Afghan military] There is a large lack of U.S. air support,” the report said.
[ad_2]
Source link