CIA Expanding Secret Ops against Taliban in Afghanistan

Local Editor

The US Central Intelligence Agency is expanding its secret operations in Afghanistan against the Taliban movement by sending highly experienced officers and contractors to hunt and kill militants across the country, media reported citing US officials.

According to The New York Times, the CIA had shifted its focus from the fight against al-Qaeda terrorist group and assistance to the Afghan intelligence services to the fight against the Taliban. This may reflect the agency's role in President Donald Trump's new US strategy on Afghanistan, the publication said.

The CIA, in particular, had expanded its activity to hunt Taliban bomb makers, including during night raids and by sending small units known as counterterrorism pursuit teams to take part in these operations, officials told the media outlet.

In August, Trump announced the new Afghanistan strategy, in which he pledged to continue US support for the Afghan government and military in their fight against terrorists and expand authority for US troops to target terrorists in the country.

Trump also approved sending an additional 4,000 troops to the country, struggling to deter various militants.

Afghanistan has been experiencing significant political, social and security-related instability for decades, as various terrorist organizations continue to stage attacks against civilian and military targets.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team