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On August 24, the Taliban accused the U.S. Army, in an official statement, of carrying out airstrikes on its forces in order to protect the remaining fighters of ISIS in the eastern Afghan provinces of Nangarhar and Kunar.
In details, unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) and warplanes of the U.S. conducted 13 airstrikes on positions and vehicles of the Taliban on the frontline with ISIS in Nangarhar between August 17 and 19. These airstrikes killed 13 fighters of the Taliban and a civilian, according to the Taliban’s statement, which was released by the group’s news agency Voice of Jihad.
In Kunar, U.S. warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes on a gathering of Taliban fighters who were on their way to launch an attack on ISIS positions in the district of Munawara.
A day earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “unidentified” helicopters delivered arms and ammunition to ISIS in Afghanistan. The ministry noted that there was no reaction to these events from Afghan government forces or from the command of the U.S./NATO contingent deployed there.
During the last two months, the Taliban stepped up its operations against ISIS in northern and eastern Afghanistan. On August 1, the Afghan group cleared the province of Jawzjan from ISIS after a successful attack. Back then, the Afghan government publicly evacuated more than 250 ISIS fighters and pledged to maintain their security.
