Jetzt über Nord-Afghanistan: B-52 gegen Taliban

Als kurzes Update, was derzeit über dem Norden Afghanistans passiert (diese Meldung vom gestrigen Dienstag ist hierzulande etwas untergegangen): Gegen Taliban und andere Aufständische in der unwegsamen Region setzte die U.S. Air Force die riesigen, schon etwas betagten Langstreckenbomber vom Typ B-52 ein, die über der Provinz Badakshan eine Rekordzahl von Lenkflugkörpern abwarfen.

Aus der Mitteilung der NATO-geführten Mission Resolute Support:

United States Forces-Afghanistan launched a series of precision strikes in Northern Afghanistan in a direct effort to destroy insurgent revenue sources, training facilities, and support networks.

Over the past 96 hours, U.S. forces conducted air operations to strike Taliban training facilities in Badakhshan province, preventing the planning and rehearsal of terrorist acts near the border with China and Tajikistan by such organizations as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement and others. The strikes also destroyed stolen Afghan National Army vehicles that were in the process of being converted to vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.
During these strikes, a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress dropped 24 precision guided munitions on Taliban fighting positions, setting a record of the most guided munitions ever dropped from a B-52. The aircraft has played a leading role in Air Force operations for decades, and was recently reconfigured with a conventional rotary launcher to increase its reach and lethality.

Nachtrag 10. Februar: Interessante Analyse dazu von der Washington Post:

Bombing of Chinese separatists in Afghanistan is a sign of how Trump’s war there has changed

(Archivbild 2009: B-52H Stratofortress – U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Lance Cheung)