Arab Times

IS beheads 15 of its own:

Subcontine­nt

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Islamic State on Thursday beheaded 15 of its own fighters due to infighting in Afghanista­n’s eastern province of Nangarhar, the local government said.

Further details were not available and there was no confirmati­on from Islamic State, whose local branch is known as Islamic State in Khorasan, an old name for the area that includes modern Afghanista­n.

Separately, a bomb exploded in Nangarhar’s capital, Jalalabad, the same day, killing at least eight people, although there was no indication of who may have been responsibl­e.

Attaullah Khogyani, the provincial governor’s spokesman, said the 15 Islamic State fighters were executed after a bout of infighting in the group, which has become notorious for its brutality. The killings occurred in the Surkh Ab bazaar of Achin district.

Nangarhar, where the movement first appeared around the beginning of 2015, is a volatile hub for Islamic State and other militant groups on Afghanista­n’s porous border with Pakistan.

The Taliban and Islamic State have frequently fought each other in Nangarhar and both have been targeted by sustained US air strikes.

However the exact nature of the relationsh­ip between the two groups is little understood. There have been isolated incidents in Afghanista­n in which the fighters from the two groups appear to have cooperated. (RTRS)

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