Afghan War:Pitched Battle With Taliban - special tactics airmen killed

Late on Tuesday 25 August,Taliban militants overran Musa Qala district centre in Helmand Province,Afghanistan,after a weeklong assault.Musa Qala is strategically important;the whole province would be under threat if Musa Qala remained in Taliban hands,including the provincial capital Lashkar Gah,an Afghan official said.Afghanistan has about 300 district centres.
Heavy fighting between the Taliban and Afghan National Defence and Security Forces erupted as the district centre and surrounding villages were overrun.Mohamed Sharif,administrative chief of Musa Qala District,said they abandoned his office,police headquarters and the central hospital.They also asked for reinforcements several times without success.Eventually more soldiers and police arrived from Kabul and were supported by NATO airstrikes,as well as NATO advise and assist personnel.
We can confirm the US has conducted multiple kinetic strikes in Musa Qala over the past 72 hours,NATO said.The warplanes struck the army and police headquarters in Musa Qala.On 30 August,the ANDSF said it had recaptured Musa Qala district centre,inflicting huge casualties on the Taliban and re-establishing control there.Up to 220 Taliban were killed,while 33 ANDSF were killed or wounded.US airstrikes alone had killed up to 40 Taliban on 26 August.Over the weeklong Taliban assault,there were 18 US airstrikes;additionally,there had been 380 other airstrikes between January and July,indicating a much wider air campaign in Afghanistan than had been previously thought.*
Even as the battle of Musa Qala progressed,on 26 August two US Air Force special tactics airmen serving in Operation Freedom's Sentinel were killed near Camp Antonik,Helmand Province.They had stopped their vehicle at a checkpoint and two men in ANDSF uniforms opened fire on them,the Air Force said.NATO service members returned fire,killing the gunmen.It isn't clear if the incident was related to the Taliban assault on Musa Qala;it is under a joint US-Afghan investigation.
Those killed were US Air Force Academy graduate Captain Matthew D. Roland,27,of Lexington,Kentucky;and Staff Sergeant Forrest B. Sibley,31,of Pensacola,Florida.They are survived by their parents.Both men were combat controllers who had served multiple tours in sensitive areas.SGT Sibley had been awarded four Bronze Stars,including one with V-device for valour.
Both airmen were qualified in terminal attack control;and were also certified as static line jumpers,free fall jumpers and combat scuba divers.Special tactics airmen integrate,synchronise,and control air and space power to enable global access,precision strike and personnel recovery for special operations.

Afghanistan:US Counterterrorism Combat Will Continue;Air Strike in Somalia

On Sunday,28 December,Operation Enduring Freedom ended after 13 years of the Afghan War that cost the lives of more than 2,000 US troops.Some 10,800 US troops will remain until America's allies up their contribution;then 9800 US troops will provide the bulk of NATO's Operation Resolute Support,which will have an end strength of 13,500.The US will share an advise,assist and training mission with its NATO allies;but will handle counterterrorism combat operations on its own under the name Operation Freedom's Sentinel.
US troops will continue to engage in combat with al Qaida militants in Afghanistan still posing a national security risk to the United States.Outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a statement that we will work with our allies and partners as part of NATO's Resolute Support Mission to continue training,advising and assisting Afghan security forces.And we will continue our counterterrorism mission against the remnants of al Qaida to ensure that Afghanistan is never again used to stage attacks against our homeland.
General John Campbell,US Army,is commander of both NATO's Operation Resolute Support and America's Operation Freedom's Sentinel.The Afghan National Security Forces number more than 350,000 troops and police,and have shown themselves to be fairly competent in combat and security operations after extensive training,though deficient in logistics and airpower against a Taliban and al Qaida enemy that remain determined and dangerous to the fledgling Afghan democracy.*
Meanwhile,the US continues to combat Islamist militants in Somalia as well.Today it conducted an airstrike on a leader of the al-Shabab organization near Saakow,Somalia.The militant's identity was not revealed;nor had the effectiveness of the strike been ascertained;it was still being assessed.Al-Shabab is an al Qaida affiliate.
Update:On Wednesday 31 December,the Pentagon stated that the Somali Islamist militant leader targeted in Monday's airstrike had been killed when his vehicle was struck by several Hellfire missiles fired by a drone.The strike had been triggered by actionable intelligence.The leader killed was Tahliil Abdishakur,chief of al-Shabab's intelligence section.