ISIL, Taliban militants clash in Afghanistan, 12 killed
At least 12 people have been killed in clashes between the Taliban militants and the Takfiri ISIL terrorists in eastern Afghanistan.
Authorities in the Afghan Defense Ministry said on Sunday that the fighting took place in the Zawa area of Khogyani District in Nangarhar Province on Saturday.
Based on the information released by the ministry, the fatalities included five ISIL terrorists, including the group’s local commander Qari Mirwais, and seven members of the Taliban.
The latest clashes come as the Taliban group has seen a string of defections in recent months. ISIL is using a sophisticated social media campaign to woo local Taliban militants.
Fears are growing that the ISIL militants have been making inroads in Afghanistan.
In mid-June, the Taliban’s deputy leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor in a letter warned terrorist ISIL leader Ibrahim al-Samarrai aka Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi “against waging a parallel insurgency in Afghanistan.”
The letter, published on the Taliban website in Pashto, Urdu, Arabic and Dari languages, also asked the ISIL leader to stay out of Afghanistan by withdrawing his support from certain elements who are recruiting young militants in Taliban strongholds.
US-led airstrike in Nuristan
Meanwhile, five people were also killed in a US-led airstrike in the eastern province of Nuristan, with Afghan officials saying that those killed were members of the Taliban militant group.
The attack, which targeted the Want Waigal district on Saturday, also left three others injured.
Afghanistan has been experiencing a massive influx of foreign militants from a host of countries over the past years.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani recently warned that ISIL is posing serious threats to the county’s peace and security.
Afghanistan has been the scene of violence since 2001, when the US and its allies invaded the country as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The US-led military alliance in Afghanistan officially ended its combat mission on December 31, 2014. Insecurity still lingers on in the war-torn country despite the presence of foreign troops.
MR/HSN/HJL
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