NEVER-ENDING WAR

Two Taliban Leaders Among 85 Killed in U.S.-Led Air Strikes

The strikes were meant to thwart the Taliban’s planned attack on Afghan security forces.

Two Taliban shadow provincial governors were killed in a U.S.-led air strike Sunday in a deadly raid meant to thwart planned attacks on Afghan security forces, according to Reuters. At least 85 Taliban fighters were killed Saturday evening in the first phase of the sustained attack that comes on the heels of failed peace talks between the Trump administration and the terrorist group, according to Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry. The Taliban disputed the death toll, saying that just seven fighters had been killed and 11 wounded, and that Afghan forces backed by the U.S. military had suffered more casualties. A senior security official denied that they had suffered casualties, telling Reuters, “The determination to wipe out Taliban safe havens has gained a fresh momentum.” There are more than 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission meant to train and bolster Afghanistan’s own internal security forces.