Taliban fighters in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, in June. IMAGE: Parwiz Parwiz/Reuters
Fierce clashes between the Taliban and ISIS are ongoing in the Afghan provinces of Nangarhar, Ghazni and Kunar, according to reports by local media and pro-Taliban sources.
According to reports, at least 4 ISIS members and 14 Taliban members were killed in the Khogyani district of Ghazni province. Seperately, an intense fighting was between the Taliban and ISIS was reported in the Chapa Dara district of Kunar province. Foreign ISIS members were reportedly involved in this incident.
Over the past few months, tensions between the two groups have also itensified in the border areas between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, and Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. The Tliban is actively working to deny ISIS space for physical presence and to expand its expansion in Afghanistan. Pro-Taliban sources even claim that some ISIS units receive support from the US-led coalition, which sees the ISIS expansion as a tool to combat the Taliban.
