US drone ‘kills 21 ISIS fighters’ in Afghanistan

▶ Afghan military and US step up strikes following a string of deadly ISIS attacks

A US drone strike has killed 21 ISIS fighters in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, officials said.

Maj Haroon Yousafzai, a spokesman for the 201st Selab Corps, said the strike took place on Sunday in the province’s Khogyani district.

“The Afghan and US forces jointly targeted the ISIS hideouts in the Sikanar area of Wazir Tangi through unmanned aerial vehicles,” Maj Yousafzai said.

The Afghan branch of ISIS, known as ISIL-KP or Khorasan after the historical region, has been battling the Taliban and coalition forces since their emergence in 2015.

The US-led coalition has been engaged in regular air strikes on ISIS positions across Nangarhar, the group’s main hideout.

“In Sunday’s air strike, a large number of weapons, ammunition and explosives were destroyed,” Maj Yousafzai said.

The group’s four top leaders have also been killed in recent US drone strikes.

Speaking from an undisclosed location, an ISIS commander told The National that a large number of civilians had been killed by American drone strikes, adding that the Afghan government was playing down the number of casualties.

“We will continue fighting these forces, including the Taliban, who are meeting these foreign forces for peace talks. We are true fighters,” the commander said.

Attacks on ISIS leaders were increased after a blast in Jalalabad in September killed 68 people.

“I feel profound indignation at this latest wave of attacks deliberately targeting civilians,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN’s senior official in Afghanistan. “The planners [of the attacks] must face justice.”

But not everyone is convinced of the military’s success.

“ISIS is still a strong power in eastern Afghanistan, primarily in Nangarhar,” said Rahimullah Yousafzai, a veteran Afghanistan analyst.

“They are still operating and initiating attacks even in the Kabul. I think Afghan government claims of killing ISIS fighters are false.

“ISIS fighters are resilient. Even the Taliban who won against ISIS in the north are reluctant to carry out operations against them in Nangarhar.”

US military commander Gen John Nicholson recently reiterated the need to eradicate the extremist group from the country.

“We are going fully at ISIS and we also note that the Taliban is fighting ISIS, and we encourage that because ISIS needs to be destroyed,” Gen Nicholson said.

In August, the collapse of ISIS in the north led to the surrender of more than 150 militants, in the northern Jowzjan province, after weeks of fighting.

The Taliban also took credit for dismantling the group in that area, claiming to have killed more than 150 ISIS fighters and arrested 130.

“There is no place for ISIS in the future of Afghanistan,” Gen Nicholson said.

The US-led coalition has been engaged in regular air strikes on ISIS positions across Nangarhar