After Obama's green light, Afghan forces on the offensive

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — After two years of heavy casualties, the Afghan military is trying to retake the initiative in the war against militants with a new offensive next week against Islamic State group loyalists, an assault that will see American troops back on the battlefield working more closely with Afghan soldiers.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani recently announced a major assault against fighters loyal to the Islamic State group, who over the past year captured positions along Afghanistan's eastern border with Pakistan, mainly in Nangarhar province.

Taliban forces have dominated the battlefield and the Islamic State group has been building a foothold — and that has meant mounting losses among Afghan troops.

Obama's directives, issued in June, enable the U.S. military to work alongside Afghan forces in the field on offensive missions against insurgents, though still in a non-combat role.

Since 2014, their role was confined to battles in which the Taliban directly threatened U.S. and NATO forces.

Afghan military affairs analyst Jawed Kohistani said the comparatively subdued levels of Taliban activity was due to internal leadership squabbles following the killing of leader Mullah Akhtar Masood in a U.S. drone strike in May.

According to the Western diplomat, the aim of the Afghan forces' more aggressive stance is to convince the Taliban they cannot win but should instead join a reconciliation process, beginning with direct contact with the Afghan government, possibly as early as fall.