28 Daesh fighters killed in ongoing Achin offensive

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): At least 26 fighters of the Islamic State (IS) group — also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh — have been killed and their communications disrupted during an operation in the Achin district of eastern Nangarhar province, officials said on Thursday.

The offensive, involving ground troops, US special forces, was launched on Tuesday night and ended late on Wednesday, Achin district chief Haji Ghalib Mujahid told Pajhwok Afghan News.

He said Shpoli, Pishi, Nagarso, Abdul Khel and Takhto areas of the district were cleared of insurgents. Takhto is the neighbourhood where IS fighters recently killed 12 civilians by planting a series of bombs.

He added 26 militants were killed and eight others injured in the operation, in which a machinegun installed on a mountain and a telecommunication system of the group were also destroyed.

Equipped with a dish antenna and computers, the system provided the rebels with the Internet facility that enabled them to contact their leaders in Iraq and other countries, Mujahid claimed. Six experts running the system were also killed during the attack.

Provincial police spokesman Hazrat Hussain Mashriqiwal confirmed the joint operation of Afghan and foreign forces in Achin district. But he put the Daesh death toll at 28 rebels, saying the offensive was still underway.

Navid Shinwari, a resident of the area, said security forces had entered the area for the first time in recent months, striking at Daesh’s heartland in an aggressive way.

mds/mud

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