Two senior regional leaders of the extremist Islamic State group have been killed in Afghanistan in recent weeks in separate operations by Taliban security forces, a Taliban spokesman said Tuesday.
Taliban forces killed Qari Fateh, the regional intelligence and operations chief for the Islamic State (ISIS), in a raid in Kabul over the weekend, said Zabihullah Mujahid, the Afghan government’s top spokesman. , in a press release.
Earlier this month, during an operation in Kabul, three militia members, including Amin Ahingar, who held a high position, were killed.
According to Mujahid, several members of the group, including foreign nationals planning deadly attacks, have been arrested in recent days.
The regional branch of the radical militia, called Islamic State in Khorasan province, is a key rival of the Taliban. The group has increased its attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in August 2021. Its targets include both Taliban patrols and members of Afghanistan’s Shia minority.
In January, eight Islamic State militants were killed and nine others detained in a series of raids against their leaders. Raids in the capital and western province of Nimroz targeted insurgents who staged the deadly attacks on Kabul’s Longan Hotel, the Pakistani Embassy and the military airport, all of which the group claimed.
The Taliban came to power after a rapid nationwide offensive in mid-August 2021, coinciding with the withdrawal of US and NATO troops after 20 years of war.
The international community has not recognized the Taliban government, suspicious of the harsh measures it has imposed since the beginning of its mandate, including the restriction of rights and freedoms, especially for women and minorities.