Monday, June 12, 2006
Military RhetIraq: US Bombing in Afghanistan
Who: Air Force Lt. Gen. Gary L. North
Source: Associated Press via Pakistan News Service
Quotes: From article titled, "U.S. Airstrikes on Afghanistan Top 750 for May"
The intensified bombing in Afghanistan has overshadowed the smaller number of U.S. airstrikes on Iraq, said Air Force Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, who commands U.S. and coalition air operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We have seen more direct support in Afghanistan that is of a kinetic effect than in Iraq of late," North told The Associated Press during a visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he met with defense officials.
Insurgents have mounted a spring offensive against the deployment of U.S.-led troops in the southern Afghan provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, drawing intense bombardments from American warplanes. The surge in fighting has killed more than 400 people, mainly militants, since mid-May.
"As always in the spring, the insurgents are coming out and trying to destabilize" the Afghan government, said North, 52, of Charlottesville, Va.
The increased U.S. bombing has sparked opposition from Afghans angered at the rising death toll of civilians, which Afghan lawmakers blame for a surge in Taliban support.
U.S. warplanes logged nearly 2,000 strikes in Afghanistan between March and May 2006, about as many as the same period in 2005, said Air Force Maj. Michael Young. But airstrikes spiked at 750 this May, as opposed to 660 in May 2005, Young said.
Source: Associated Press via Pakistan News Service
Quotes: From article titled, "U.S. Airstrikes on Afghanistan Top 750 for May"
The intensified bombing in Afghanistan has overshadowed the smaller number of U.S. airstrikes on Iraq, said Air Force Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, who commands U.S. and coalition air operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We have seen more direct support in Afghanistan that is of a kinetic effect than in Iraq of late," North told The Associated Press during a visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he met with defense officials.
Insurgents have mounted a spring offensive against the deployment of U.S.-led troops in the southern Afghan provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, drawing intense bombardments from American warplanes. The surge in fighting has killed more than 400 people, mainly militants, since mid-May.
"As always in the spring, the insurgents are coming out and trying to destabilize" the Afghan government, said North, 52, of Charlottesville, Va.
The increased U.S. bombing has sparked opposition from Afghans angered at the rising death toll of civilians, which Afghan lawmakers blame for a surge in Taliban support.
U.S. warplanes logged nearly 2,000 strikes in Afghanistan between March and May 2006, about as many as the same period in 2005, said Air Force Maj. Michael Young. But airstrikes spiked at 750 this May, as opposed to 660 in May 2005, Young said.
