Afghan military operation and infighting kill nearly 30 Daesh militants

Amid the growth in numbers of Daesh militants in Afghanistan, the Taliban militant group has warned against Daesh's presence in the country and its ongoing recruitment efforts. (AFP/File)

At least 29 members of the Daesh militant group have been killed in an operation by the Afghan army as well as infighting among the extremists in Afghanistan’s troubled Nangarhar Province.

A police spokesman said 28 Daesh militantswere killed when Afghan soldiers launched a series of operations in the Achin district, located 150 kilometers (86 miles) east of the capital, Kabul, on Wednesday.

Eight Daesh militants were also wounded in the offensives, the spokesman added.

An exchange of gunfire also broke out among Daesh militants in the Wawishtama Wyala area of the province, leaving at least one militant dead.

Nangarhar has been witnessing a rise in the number of Daesh militants joining the group’s ranks in recent months.

On June 16, the Taliban militant group warned Daesh ringleader Ibrahim al-Samarrai aka Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi against “waging a parallel insurgency in Afghanistan.” Taliban asked the Daesh leader to keep his men out of Afghanistan and stop recruiting new members in the country.

Afghanistan is gripped by insecurity 14 years after the United States and its allies attacked the country as part of Washington’s "war on terror". Many areas across Afghanistan still face violence and insecurity and militancy by Taliban.

Editor's note: This article has been edited from the source material