{"id":69994,"date":"2018-02-06T21:21:38","date_gmt":"2018-02-06T21:21:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/02\/06\/us-bombing-expands-to-afghan-province-near-chinese-border\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:02:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:02:43","slug":"us-bombing-expands-to-afghan-province-near-chinese-border","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/06\/us-bombing-expands-to-afghan-province-near-chinese-border\/","title":{"rendered":"US bombing expands to Afghan province near Chinese border"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Military releases footage of what it says is an airstrike delivered by a B-52 on a Taliban drug-making facility in Afghanistan Dec. 29, 2017. (DVIDS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

U.S. Forces-Afghanistan has begun launching precision airstrikes in Northern Afghanistan<\/a> in an effort to degrade the Taliban\u2019s revenue streams<\/a>, training facilities and support networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver the past 96 hours, U.S. forces conducted air operations to strike Taliban training facilities in Badakhshan province<\/a>,\u201d NATO\u2019s Resolute Support<\/a> mission said in a statement Tuesday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring these strikes, a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress dropped 24 precision-guided munitions on Taliban fighting positions, setting a record [for] the most guided munitions ever dropped from a B-52,\u201d according to Resolute Support.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The strikes were focused on a region that shares a border with both China and Tajikistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent reports out of the region by the Agence France-Presse indicate Afghan officials are in talks to build a new military base along the Wakhan Corridor<\/a>, a remote and mountainous area bordering China\u2019s Xinjiang region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are going to build it, but the Chinese government has committed to help the division financially, provide equipment and train the Afghan soldiers,\u201d Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed Radmanesh told AFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A B-52 Stratofortress from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker from RAF Mildenhall, England, above the Mediterranean Sea, Sept. 27, 2017. The B-52 is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. During this flight, the KC-135 offloaded 55,000 pounds of fuel to the B-52. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tenley Long)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is not clear whether China\u2019s Afghan security concerns<\/a> were a motivating factor in pushing the bombing into the region. However, the strikes did eliminate old equipment the Taliban pilfered from compromised outposts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe strikes also destroyed stolen Afghan National Army vehicles that were in the process of being converted to vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices,\u201d the statement read. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Afghan police outpost located in Badakhshan province surrendered to Taliban fighters in July 2015, with roughly 100 police joining the insurgent group after giving up their fighting positions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo reinforcements were sent to help the police at the base for the past three days, when they were under the attack and finally they had no option: They had to join the Taliban,\u201d the head of Badakhshan\u2019s provincial council said immediately after the incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\t