Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban say they have conducted “a crushing operation” against the Daesh hideouts in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, killing members of the Takfiri terrorist group there.
In a post on his Twitter account, the Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said a number of Daesh terrorists were killed in the raid on three districts of Balkh's provincial capital the previous night and their weapons and ammunition were confiscated.
A member of the Taliban forces was also injured during the Taliban’s operation, he added.
عملیات در شهرمزارشریف:
— Zabihullah (..ذبـــــیح الله م ) (@Zabehulah_M33) March 18, 2023
ناوقت شب گذشته با نصرت الهی نیروهای خاص ومجاهد کشور، در نواحی پنجم، ششم وهشتم شهر مزارشریف مرکز ولایت بلخ، عملیات کوبنده علیه مخفی گاهای خوارج داعشی را انجام دادند.
تعداد آنها کشته شده اند اسلحه ومهمات شان به دست آمده و یک مجاهد هم زخمی شده است.
Meanwhile, Balkh Police spokesperson Mohammad Asif Wazir told Pajhwok Afghan News that three Daesh hideouts were destroyed in the attack that claimed the lives of five terrorists, all of whom were Tajik and Uzbek nationals.
Wazir further said that four Kalashnikovs and some equipment were seized during the operation.
Last week, Daesh claimed responsibility for a blast that hit the Tebyan Cultural Center in Mazar-i-Sharif, killing and injuring dozens of journalists.
The Taliban, who had previously ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, took power again in August 2021 after the chaotic withdrawal of US occupation troops.
However, it has largely failed to bring security as deadly explosions targeting civilians remain a recurrent theme of daily life in the war-torn country.
Daesh has claimed responsibility for most of these assaults in Afghanistan as it is seeking a foothold in the war-wracked country after the Takfiri terrorist group was vanquished in Iraq and Syira. Some reports say the terrorist group was operating only in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Khost before the Taliban’s takeover, but it has now expanded its presence to other regions across the country.