Kabul: The Taliban have reportedly conducted operations in Kabul's northern suburb, killing three terrorists of the ISIS-Khorasan branch. According to a report in Khamma Press, local residents have confirmed the shooting of lights and heavy weapons in the area.
Sources of the Taliban have said that the operation was conducted to bust the hideout of the ISIS-K. The operation was conducted after a suicide bomber exploded his explosives in Eid Gah mosque where Taliban authorities and civilians had gathered for the prayer/mourning ceremony of the slain mother of Zabiullah Mujahid- spokesperson of the Taliban. The explosion has reportedly left more than ten killed and over 20 more wounded.
While no one had claimed responsibility, suspicion quickly fell on the Islamic State group, which has ramped up attacks against its enemy, Taliban, since their takeover of Kabul in mid-August.
In a statement on Monday, Mujahid said Taliban forces raided an Islamic State operations center in the northern Kabul neighborhood of Khair Khana.
The Islamic State reemerged in Afghanistan in 2020 after being weakened by a heavy US bombing campaign directed against them in the eastern part of the country in 2019
Earlier the Islamic State group had claimed responsibility for the horrific bombing on August 26 that killed more than 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. military personnel outside the Kabul airport, where thousands of people were trying to reach the airport to escape Taliban rule.
The Islamic State reemerged in Afghanistan in 2020 after being weakened by a heavy US bombing campaign directed against them in the eastern part of the country in 2019.
Sunday's bombing underscores the growing challenges for the Taliban. The group carried out frequent attacks during their 20-year insurgency, but are now faced with trying to contain rival militants who have used the same methods.
The Taliban had earlier claimed that they had killed and arrested several IS militants during a raid at a hideout north of Kabul, without giving away exact figures or identities, as per Hindustan Times report. The attack comes in the aftermath of an IS-linked suicide bombing outside Kabul international airport late August that targeted evacuation efforts of the United States.
