A report from VOA News reveals that despite the war in Afghanistan now being 17 years old, strikes against targets have actually been increasing — and by a staggering amount.
“The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan dropped more bombs during the first quarter of 2018 than it has in the same period in any of the last 15 years, according to Pentagon data,” VOA reported.
“Coalition planes dropped 1,186 weapons on Afghanistan during the first three months of 2018, according to figures released by U.S. Air Forces Central Command. The previous record (1,083) was set during the height of the war in 2011,” the report continued.
A graph accompanying the data makes those numbers appear rather dramatic when visualized. There was a clear decline in the number of targets bombed between President Barack Obama’s first and second terms, followed by a noticeable spike beginning in 2017.
“The U.S.-led coalition in #Afghanistan dropped more bombs during the first quarter of 2018 than it has in the same period in any of the last 15 years” https://t.co/Jmsm0tzrFQ pic.twitter.com/0xDEc2N2Ba
— Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) April 24, 2018
That increase is the direct result of a directive put in place by President Donald Trump.
“Since President Donald Trump announced his new military strategy in August last year, the U.S.-led coalition bombing campaign has become much more intense, and this trend is expected to continue,” reported The Daily Caller. – READ MORE
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