US steps up deadly airstrikes, during Taliban peace talks

Washington's peace envoy has traveled to Pakistan to boost regional support for reducing violence in Afghanistan ahead of a final deal to end America's longest war, even as new US air force statistics show the United States dropped more bombs on Afghanistan last year than any year since 2013.

In a statement Saturday, the US Embassy in Islamabad said American peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was in Pakistan the previous day to rally support for getting an agreement with the Taliban to reduce their attacks, as a first step toward a peace agreement to end 18 years of war in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Pakistan's foreign ministry, following a series of meetings with Khalilzad on Friday, said it supported a quick peace deal with the Taliban and repeated Washington's call for a reduction in violence.

But the violence on the side of Afghan government forces and its US allies has also raised concerns.

Stepped up bombings by the United States and operations by CIA-trained Afghan special forces -- several of which have resulted in civilian casualties -- have been sharply criticised by human rights groups, some Afghan officials and even resulted in the sacking of Afghanistan's intelligence chief.

Increasing US air attacks began in 2018 and have led to higher death tolls in the conflict.

In 2019, the US Air Force dropped 7,423 bombs on Afghanistan, up slightly from 2018 when it dropped 7,362 bombs on the war-shattered country, according to statistics from the US Central Command Combined Air Operations Center.

This compares to a far lower 4,361 bombs dropped in 2017 and 1,337 in 2016, according to their statistics.

The US military statistics said that its air force carried out a total of 2,434 sorties last year, in which at least one bomb or strike was carried out on Afghanistan.

The United Nations has blamed the increased US bombing, at least in part, for a rise in civilian casualties in Afghanistan.

For the first time since the US-led invasion in 2001, the UN said that Afghan government forces and its US allies killed more civilians in the first three months of last year than insurgents.

The UN also points out that insurgent bombings and attacks wounded more civilians during the same period and almost daily the Taliban targeted military and government officials.

The militants now control or hold sway over nearly half of Afghanistan. The UN has called for all sides in the protracted conflict to take better care to avoid civilian casualties.

The most recent airstrike to raise hackles in Afghanistan occurred overnight on Friday when a family of six, including a child, were killed in a northern province.

The US military initially said the airstrike in Kunduz killed three Taliban and destroyed a cache of weapons.

US officials have since said the strike is under investigation, in reply to queries from The Associated Press.

"We are aware of the reports of civilian casualties reported to have occurred in Dasht-e-Archi district or Imam Sahib district, Kunduz Province, on Jan. 30," a US military statement said.

"We are looking into these reports and will provide more information when it becomes available."
In a tweet on Friday, former president Hamid Karzai condemned the airstrike saying: "the bombings of our homes and villages is an injustice against our people & a violation of our national sovereignty."
He called for "the end to all military operations in our country."