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Afghan, US Forces Target Daesh Strongholds In North

Afghan Special Security Forces and US Special Operators disrupted Daesh capacity to use foreign fighters to terrorize the Afghan people in northern Afghanistan.

“These IS-K fighters are primarily Pakistani Pashtun,” said General John Nicholson, commander, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan. “They have another segment of Islamic Movement Uzbekistan. And then there’s probably ten per cent that’s from a variety of sources around the world.”

On Jan. 28. Afghan forces captured Khitab Aka, Daesh’s head facilitator of foreign fighters in Jawzjan. Less than two months later, on Mar. 16, a US airstrike killed Aka’s replacements, Daesh commanders Omair and Abu Samaya, as the duo met in Sar-e Pul province, US Forces-Afghanistan Headquarters said in a statement on Thursday. 

The statement said the Afghan and US forces delivered another blow to Daesh during a partnered nighttime raid in the isolated village of Mughul, Darzab district, Jawzjan province, Mar. 22. This tactical defeat of Daesh fighters in Jawzjan is the most recent in a series of Afghan and US SOF counterterrorism successes targeting Daesh in northern Afghanistan this year.

“Every day, we’re going against IS-K (Daesh),” said Nicholson. "They were in southern Nangarhar. If you were to go there today, you would see some of the valleys that have been liberated from IS-K: the populations returning, the kids going back into school.”

“There will be no safe haven for any terrorist group,” said Nicholson. “We continue to strike them wherever we find them. We continue to hunt them across the country.”

Afghan, US Forces Target Daesh Strongholds In North

The operations were conducted in parts of Jawzjan and Sar-e-Pul provinces in the north of Afghanistan.

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Afghan Special Security Forces and US Special Operators disrupted Daesh capacity to use foreign fighters to terrorize the Afghan people in northern Afghanistan.

“These IS-K fighters are primarily Pakistani Pashtun,” said General John Nicholson, commander, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan. “They have another segment of Islamic Movement Uzbekistan. And then there’s probably ten per cent that’s from a variety of sources around the world.”

On Jan. 28. Afghan forces captured Khitab Aka, Daesh’s head facilitator of foreign fighters in Jawzjan. Less than two months later, on Mar. 16, a US airstrike killed Aka’s replacements, Daesh commanders Omair and Abu Samaya, as the duo met in Sar-e Pul province, US Forces-Afghanistan Headquarters said in a statement on Thursday. 

The statement said the Afghan and US forces delivered another blow to Daesh during a partnered nighttime raid in the isolated village of Mughul, Darzab district, Jawzjan province, Mar. 22. This tactical defeat of Daesh fighters in Jawzjan is the most recent in a series of Afghan and US SOF counterterrorism successes targeting Daesh in northern Afghanistan this year.

“Every day, we’re going against IS-K (Daesh),” said Nicholson. "They were in southern Nangarhar. If you were to go there today, you would see some of the valleys that have been liberated from IS-K: the populations returning, the kids going back into school.”

“There will be no safe haven for any terrorist group,” said Nicholson. “We continue to strike them wherever we find them. We continue to hunt them across the country.”

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