Gen. John Nicholson, who leads American and NATO troops in Afghanistan, did not deny claims this week that Russia has been supplying the Taliban with weapons, saying, “We continue to get reports of this assistance.”
According to PJ Media, both American and Afghan officials have disclosed the Russian aid to the radical Islamists of the Taliban.
“We support anyone who wants to help us advance the reconciliation process,” Nicholson added, “but anyone who arms belligerents who perpetuate attacks like the one we saw two days ago in Mazar-e Sharif is not the best way forward to a peaceful reconciliation.”
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In fact, Nicholson told the U.S. Senate in February that Russian aid to the Taliban was on the rise.
Now, with their new weapons, the Taliban has made a chilling claim. “The key objective (of their new spring offensive) … will be the foreign forces, their military infrastructure and intelligence, and the elimination of their local mercenaries,” a statement from the Taliban read.
“The enemy will be targeted, harassed, killed or captured until they abandon their last posts.”
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The Taliban has named the new offensive “Operation Mansouri,” after the Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour killed in a U.S. drone strike a year ago, according to the BBC.
The statement and the name of the operation seem to point directly to the U.S. military as the “foreign forces” that will be the primary target during these planned attacks, given the fact that the U.S. led the strike that killed their beloved terrorist leader.
We must protect our brave men and women deployed in Afghanistan and take every action available to ensure their safety — even if that means annoying Russian strongman Vladimir Putin or his allies.
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