US sending more air power to Afghanistan

Washington, July 10: Amid newspaper reports that American commandos were poised to stage hot pursuit raids into Pakistan's tribal areas FATA, the US has decided to send more air power to Afghanistan from Iraq.

The decision to send more reinforcements was reportedly taken after Pakistan failed to contain terrorist activities and cross border attacks on Afghanistan from FATA. On Tuesday July 8, US military officials told reporters in Washington that the aircraft carrier 'Abraham Lincoln' and its escort vessels were moved out of the Gulf to the Arabian sea, shortening the time that the carrier's strike planes must take to support operations in Afghanistan, reported the Dawn.

The officials said that since violence was down dramatically in Iraq, US military planners believe it was possible to focus some air capabilities away from Iraq and more on Afghanistan.

According to three lawmakers who were briefed about the US plan to stage hot pursuit raids into FATA during a recent trip to the region, the Bush administration was recalibrating US operations in the region because of a 40 per cent increase in violent attacks against US-led forces in Afghanistan that had pushed US casualties for the month of June beyond the monthly toll in Iraq.

The US has about 34,000 troops in Afghanistan, a number expected to rise to nearly 40,000 with reinforcements next year, added the paper.

ANI