U.S. Rules Of Engagement In Afghanistan Have Definitely Changed

U.S. airmen prepare a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone as it leaves on a mission at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan March 9, 2016. REUTERS/Josh Smith

WNU Editor: I noticed the following claim in this report .... Official: US Drone Kills 26 Taliban in Eastern Afghanistan (VOA).

.... An Afghan official says two U.S. drone strikes this week hit a building where dozens of Taliban were meeting in southeastern province of Ghazni, killing 26 insurgents and wounding 22.

He says among those killed was a senior commander, known only as Aqhani, who ran the insurgency in Ghazni province. The first U.S. drone strike hit the building, the second struck an hour later after more Taliban had gathered at the scene.

The second airstrike that was initiated is what caught my eye. Usually when a U.S. airstrike of this type occurs, it is an intense attack lasting a few seconds/a minute .... and that is it. But in this case .... the second strike occurred an hour later when people were present helping those who were trapped or wounded. Talk about not only sending a message to the Taliban that going to the aid after an airstrike does not mean you are an immune from an airstrike, but it is also a message to the Taliban that the rules of engagement against them have definitely changed.