A pair of Danish F-16 fighters supporting U.S.-led coalition forces dropped bombs for the first time in Afghanistan, the air force said Tuesday. The Danish planes dropped four laser-guided bombs early Tuesday morning on a cave complex in southeastern Afghanistan. The attack was part of a wider military operation, the Tactical Air Command Denmark said in a statement.
It was the first time since a 1999 bombing raid in Kosovo under NATO's "Operation Allied Forces" that Danish F-16s bombed a hostile target, Capt. Karsten Marrup said. Since October, Denmark has based six F-16s in nearby Kyrgyzstan. The aircraft have flown more than 260 missions in Afghanistan, Marrup said. No other details on Tuesday's bombing were available.
The announcement came amid a debate in NATO-member Denmark where lawmakers want more openness from the Defense Command that coordinates Denmark's 21,000 military personnel. Denmark last week offered troops and a submarine for any military action against Iraq, but only if there is a U.N. mandate for such an attack.
Thank you, Denmark. |