Thomson Reuters The US is sending a squadron of 12 A-10 Warthogs back to Afghanistan for the first time since 2012. US Air Force Maj. Gen. James Hecker said the Warthogs will provide an increased need for close air support in targeting Taliban revenue sources and in counter-terrorism operations. The US said MQ-9 Reaper drones would also deploy as part of a major increase in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. US forces in Afghanistan are deploying a squadron of A-10 "Warthog" ground attack aircraft, the US military said on Tuesday, intensifying an air campaign that saw attacks more than triple in 2017 over the previous year. The number of US air strikes in Afghanistan has spiked since President Donald Trump took office a year ago though the insurgents have hit back with deadly attacks, including a bloody Taliban raid on a Kabul hotel on the weekend. The A-10 is returning to Afghanistan for the first time since 2012, with the squadron of 12 aircraft to operate from Kandahar air base in the south, the heartland of the militants fighting to oust the Western-backed government and drive out foreign forces. US Air Force Major General James Hecker said the A-10s were returning to meet an increased need for close air support in a campaign targeting Taliban revenue sources including drug-producing facilities and in counter-terrorism operations. DVIDS The new aircraft had already conducted their first attacks, continuing a campaign that increased in intensity since Washington gave commanders greater authority to perform air strikes last year. "We've been taking the fight to the enemy for a while now," Hecker said.