35 IS Fighters and 15 Taliban Killed in Nangarhar Afghanistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — The Nangarhar Governor’s office has released a statement that the Afghan National Security Forces have killed 35 Islamic State fighters and 15 Taliban in different operations in the province.

“35 Daesh [Islamic State] fighters were killed and 18 others were wounded in the Achin district,” said the statement from governor’s office. The death of 15 Taliban members in the drone strikes has also been confirmed by the office.

Earlier, government officials decided to launch operations against the militants; “Shafaq operation 3rd phase would go on to counter the militants,” says General Abdullah Habibi, the Defense Minister of Afghanistan, who was part of the security meeting in Nangarhar. “Our forces are ready to launch the operation”.

A Taliban spokesman has claimed that they have captured the head quarter of the Qala-e-Zal district of the Kunduz province that had already previously fell to Taliban for a brief period; according to ToloNews,  local officials have confirmed the capture of Qala-e-Zal to Taliban.

Mujahid says that the district is still under Taliban control. The spokesman has released a video of the Taliban fighters who are in the security buildings of the district, but these videos have not been confirmed independently.

The ISAF Spokesman, Brigadier General Günter Katz, was quoted by German public broadcaster ARD in saying, “By comparison with last year, in the past three months we have had 15 percent fewer attacks,” Katz told. “And if we just look at October, there were 20 percent fewer than last year.”

The Taliban spokesman had stated in his voice message to media houses, rejecting the statement of the American General who had made an unannounced visit to Kabul, and who had stated that the Taliban fighting has decreased and they are weakened. “Owing to the holy month of Ramadan in summer, and Mujahideen slow down their activities”, said Zabihullah Mujahid.