Afghan forces to launch operation against ‘Daesh’ extremists in north

Afghanistan’s military plans to launch a major operation to stop ISIL making inroads into the country’s northern provinces, officials said yesterday.

Dawlat Waziri, a ministry of defence spokesman, said the actions would take place in the provinces of Sari Pul, Faryab and Jowzjan.

“We know there are foreign fighters among them but we will eliminate all of them regardless of their nationality,” he said.

On Sunday, French and Algerian fighters, some arriving from Syria, were reported to have joined the ranks of ISIL in northern Afghanistan, where the militants have established new bases.

European and Afghan sources said French citizens were among the fighters in Darzab, Jowzjan province, suggesting they may have links to ISIL-Khorasan Province, the group’s franchise in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

It is the first time that the presence of French ISIL fighters has been recorded in Afghanistan and comes as analysts suggested foreigners may be heading for the country after being driven out of Syria and Iraq.

“We have reports that more than 40 foreign Daesh fighters, mostly Uzbeks, are present in Darzab and Qushtepa districts,” said Mohammad Reza Ghafoori, a spokesman for the governor of Jowzjan.

“The government is planning to launch an operation to clear them from the area soon,” he said.

When it emerged in 2015, ISIL-Khorasan Province overran large parts of east Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, although initially its part in the Afghan conflict was overshadowed by the Taliban.

The extremists have since spread north and carried out several attacks in Kabul.