Heavy fighting has erupted in the eastern Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan,
near the Pakistan border, where ISIS forces have launched an attack
trying to seize a handful of villages that have been under Taliban
control.
Early reports are that six villages were overrun by ISIS, though
fighting is still ongoing in the area. Provincial officials say the
death toll is unclear, but that the fighting has not stopped and is
raging across two districts.
This fighting is fueling a new exodus of civilians from the villages and
the surrounding areas, with an estimated 500 civilian families having
fled. The Taliban has so far declined comment on the matter.
Historically, the Taliban has been very successful in fights against
ISIS, but Nangarhar is the main territory under ISIS control, and the
group seems a lot more resilient in this province than elsewhere.
ISIS Battles Taliban for Control of Eastern Afghanistan Villages
Heavy fighting as ISIS seeks control of Nangarhar villages
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.
Join the Discussion!
We welcome thoughtful and respectful comments. Hateful language, illegal content, or attacks against Antiwar.com will be removed.
For more details, please see our Comment Policy.
