US Drone Strikes Kill 20 ISIS Fighters in Nangarhar

US Would Only Confirm Incident as 'Kinetic Strike'

According to several Afghan officials, including the spokesman for the Nangarhar Province, two US drone strikes were launched today against ISIS forces in the Haska Mina district of Nangarhar, along the border with Pachi Agam Province. 20 ISIS fighters were killed.

The Pentagon did not confirm the death toll, but did confirm the attacks as a “kinetic strike” in the area, targeting “individuals threatening the force.” The US has launched several strikes against ISIS forces in Nangarhar this month.

The size of the ISIS force in Afghanistan is the subject of a lot of speculation. They are not believed to be huge, and are made up mostly of Taliban commanders who have defected. The group is active in Nangarhar, Pachi Agam, and to a lesser extent Helmand Province.

Previous attacks against ISIS forces had focused mostly on these commanders, with some of them killed earlier this month. There is so far no indication of any named commanders targeted or hit in today’s attacks.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.