Taliban claims killing ISIS commanders in northeastern Afghanistan

Taliban have claimed the killing of four ISIS militants which includes 2 senior commanders in the northeastern Afghan province of Takhar, media reports said citing a Taliban-controlled news agency.

Qari Aminullah Tayeb, a Talibani commander said they found an ISIS hideout in Takhar during a joint operation on Saturday, reported Khaama Press citing the Bakhtar news agency.

The ISIS militants allegedly died in a village in Takhar province's Dashti Qala district, Aminullah added. Similarly, in a separate statement on Saturday, the Taliban government claimed to have killed six ISIS members on Friday night in Kabul.

According to the Taliban, the killed militants were behind the deadly attack on the Kaaj education centre and the explosion near Wazir Muhammad Akbar Khan mosque in Kabul, reported Khaama Press.

However, it is noteworthy that the Taliban's claims cannot be ascertained. ISIS-K (the k stands for Khorasan, the name of a historical region that covered parts of modern Afghanistan and Pakistan) has been operating in Afghanistan for the last few years.

It is a branch of ISIS -- the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Since its formation in 2015, the terrorist outfit has carried out numerous attacks on Afghan civilians and is held responsible for thousands of deaths, CNN reported citing the Wilson Center, a non-partisan policy forum.

The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, which was widely celebrated in Pakistan in August last year, has worsened the terror situation in the country.

In 2021, militants, mainly belonging to the Pakistani Taliban, killed 48 policemen and injured 44 others in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Most of the violent incidents took place in the last few months of the year (after the Taliban takeover).

Despite repeated attempts, Pakistan has been unable to get firm guarantees from the Afghan Taliban that they would take action against the Pakistani Taliban operating in Afghanistan.

( With inputs from ANI )