100 Islamic State fighters surrender to Taliban in eastern Afghanistan
Kabul, Oct 31 (EFE).- At least 100 Islamic State-Khorasan or Daesh fighters surrendered to the Taliban in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province, the main stronghold of the group amid Taliban military operations against Daesh throughout the country.
“65 Daesh members surrendered to the Islamic Emirate in Koat and Batikoat districts of the province and expressed regret over their past activities in the ranks of Daesh” the Nangarhar governor’s office told Efe.
The press office confirmed to Efe another group of Daesh with 35 members surrendered yesterday to the authorities in presence of local elders from the province’s Koat and Spin-Ghar districts.
The militants surrendered to the government forces while under pressure as a result of ongoing military operation with local elders playing a “mediation” role to prepare them for the surrender, the press office said.
Nangarhar Provincial Intelligence Chief Doctor Bashir in a video statement said, “These fighters are conditionally pardoned, and they will live under some specific conditions, but if they try to violate those conditions, they will face serious action by the government.” He did not disclose or explain the conditions.
A Taliban official in Nangarhar told Efe on condition of anonymity that so far 149 Daesh fighters have surrendered to the security forces in various parts of Nangarhar province.
“We are trying to convince more Daesh fighters to surrender, but if they continue their destructive activities, they will face the security forces and military operations,” the official said.
The Taliban have been pursuing a nationwide clearance operation against Daesh for the past several weeks in Afghanistan and so far have killed or arrested dozens of Daesh fighters in at least eight of the 34 Afghan provinces.
Those operations are still continuing, albeit sporadically.
The latest of the operations by Taliban special forces was carried out on Oct. 24 in the western city of Herat where four Daesh members were killed after hours of clashes.
The Taliban began operations against Daesh after the latter group carried out several deadly attacks in various parts of the country over the past two-and-a-half months against both members of the Taliban and of the Shia minority community.
On Oct. 21, the Taliban announced that they had arrested at least 250 alleged Daesh fighters over the past month during an operation, which began in late September and is still continuing in certain parts of Afghanistan.
So far, Daesh has carried out attacks in the eastern provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, Laghman, the northern provinces of Parwan and Kunduz, the southern provinces of Kandahar and Khost, as well as in the capital of Kabul.
The deadliest attacks by Daesh suicide attacks over the past two months in Kabul have killed 170 people, while in Kunduz province the attacks have killed 80 and in southern Kandahar province 60 people have been killed.
Although the Taliban have downplayed the threat of Daesh in Afghanistan, analysts and military experts have warned that the Daesh militant group is emerging as a potential security threat to the newly established Taliban government in Afghanistan.
EFE
