Taliban announce raids on Islamic State group “hideouts” in Afghanistan

March 23 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Taliban announced on Wednesday several raids on “hideouts” of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) jihadist group in the city of Balkh, in the northwest of the country, as well as in the capital, Kabul.

These measures take place within the framework of a new security operation, a week after two Taliban officials were killed in attacks claimed by the Islamic State.

As a result of a raid in Kabul, the Taliban have claimed to have killed three “important members” of the armed group who are allegedly planning Ramadan attacks in the capital.

The Afghan spokesman and deputy information minister, Zabihulá Mujahid, had indicated that the operation had taken place in the Batjak Charahi district, adding that weapons, hand grenades and explosives were seized during the operation.

In a second operation in Balkh, according to audiovisual documents, the cache contained US dollars and other currencies, while an ISKP defector has claimed that the jihadist group receives money from abroad, as reported by the SITE Intelligence Group, specialized in tracking terrorist groups.

ISKP, which considers the Taliban traitors to the orthodoxy of ‘sharia’ or Islamic law, and defends a much harsher interpretation, has been the target of a security campaign by the Taliban. The jihadist group has carried out dozens of attacks since the Taliban seized power in August 2021 after the then Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, fled the country before his military advance towards the capital.