US strikes Taliban and captured equipment in support of Afghan forces - CNN

The military has retained the authority to carry out strikes in support of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) during the final stages of the withdrawal of US troops, but the pace of these strikes has decreased in recent weeks.

Previously, the US launched strikes in support of Afghan forces on a more frequent basis, a different defense official said.

"I can say that in the last several days, we have acted through airstrikes to support the ANDSF, but I won't get into technical details of those strikes," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said at a press briefing Thursday.

Three of the last four strikes have targeted captured equipment, one official said.

This includes US equipment transferred to the ANDSF that the Taliban then captured as it advanced throughout the country.

This latest development is an indication of the success the Taliban has had as it sweeps across the country, pushing back the Afghan military and taking over significant swaths of territory as the US nears the ends of its withdrawal.

The transition of command authorities is a key milestone in the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Miller, who was the longest-serving US commander throughout America's nearly two decades of military involvement in Afghanistan, has repeatedly voiced concern about the pace of the Taliban's territorial gains and the potential for civil war in the country once the US military campaign is complete.

As he handed off leadership responsibilities, Miller noted the escalating violence driven by Taliban attacks and emphasized that it will not help establish a political agreement with the Afghan government.