These were the first US air strikes against the Taliban since the Eid ceasefire began.
Washington:
The U.S. has launched its first air strikes against the Taliban since a rare ceasefire between the insurgents and the Afghan armed forces ended more than a week ago, the U.S. military said on Friday.
The two attacks took place in separate provinces in Afghanistan on Thursday and Friday, U.S. force spokesman Sonny Leggett said on Twitter.
"These were the first US air strikes against (the Taliban) since the beginning of the Eid armistice," he wrote.
"We repeat: All sides must reduce violence for the peace process to take effect," he added.
Ten members of the Afghan armed forces were killed in a separate attack on a Humvee vehicle on Friday, the Interior Ministry said the Taliban.
There was no immediate comment from the group.
The Taliban announced a surprising three-day ceasefire with Afghan forces that ended on May 26 on the occasion of the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Since then, violence across the country has decreased overall. The Afghan government says it is ready to start lengthy peace talks with the insurgents.
Washington signed a pioneering treaty with the Taliban in February that promised to withdraw all US troops against security guarantees to pave the way for negotiations between Afghan warring sides.
The Taliban have largely refrained from major attacks on Afghan cities since the agreement was signed, but have continued to target Afghan forces.
Under the agreement, which excluded the Afghan government, Washington and the militants said they would not attack each other.
However, the Pentagon said last month that it would continue defending the Taliban if it attacked Afghan partners.
In February, all U.S. and foreign forces will leave Afghanistan next year. Thousands of U.S. troops have already left, and a senior US defense official estimated the number of troops remaining in the country at approximately 8,500 last month.
(This story was not edited by NDTV staff and is generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
