16 militants killed in Afghan air force attack in Farah
At least 16 militants have been killed in airstrikes by Afghanistan’s air force in the western province of Farah, Press TV reports.
According to the Press TV correspondent quoting Afghan authorities, the slain militants were affiliated with the Taliban militants and the Takfiri ISIL terrorists.
Hanif Rezaye, a spokesman for the Afghan National Army (ANA) in Farah, stated that the militants’ positions were targeted in Sar Gazan, Gul Shotor, Dahan-e-Jamal Ghani and Dahan-e-Kashkanak areas of the province.
Five vehicles used by the militants were also destroyed in the Saturday offensive, Rezaye added.
The ISIL terrorists, who are already actively operating in countries like Syria, Iraq and Libya, have been looking to expand presence.
The terrorists reportedly seek to turn Afghanistan’s Anar Dara district in Farah into one of their strongholds in the violence-wracked country, according to the Afghan news agency, Khaama Press.
The militants intended to strike religious sites in the nearby province of Herat before they were targeted in the Saturday airstrikes, Press TV's correspondent said.
Elements affiliated with ISIL have launched an extensive propaganda campaign in a bid to lure the youth in Afghanistan, and Pakistan, into joining the ranks of the Takfiri terrorist group.
ISIL is currently in control of some parts of Syria and Iraq, and is notorious for carrying out atrocious deeds and heinous crimes against humanity in the two Arab countries.
Reports of ISIL’s ambitions for strongholds in Afghanistan come at a time that over 13,500 foreign forces, mostly from the US, are still in the country in what is called a support mission.
Afghanistan faces security challenges years after the 2001 invasion by the United States and its allies as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror.
FNR/HSN/HMV
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