Afghan officials are claiming that “more than 100” ISIS fighters have been killed in Nangarhar Province in three days of heavy fighting since ISIS forces started attacking the Kot District, a major battle that ended the conceit that the Afghan security forces had their ISIS affiliate well in hand.
Afghan officials have repeatedly claimed ISIS was “wiped out” or close to it in Nangarhar, which in the only province in which they’ve ever had a major presence, but nearly 600 ISIS fighters came seemingly out of nowhere Friday in the Kot District push.
ISIS forces set fires in the district, with reports that 25 homes were burned to the ground, and at least a dozen security forces were also reported slain in the heavy fighting, along with an unknown number of civilians.
With Afghan forces struggling to hold their own against the Taliban across much of the country, there definitely isn’t a lot of spare military capability to fight the growing ISIS affiliate as well, and Afghan claims they’re confident they can defeat ISIS seem wishful thinking.