The loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and syria (ISIS) terrorist group in Afghanistan are attempting to establish a base operations in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.
Army Brig. Gen. Wilson Shoffner, deputy chief of staff for communications for NATO’s Resolute Support Mission, said the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is operating in four or five remote districts of Nangarhar province.
He was briefing reports via a video conference from Afghanistan on Thursday.
“We’re seeing [ISIL] attempting to establish a base of operations there,” he said. “Afghan security forces have had quite a bit of success against them,” Gen. Shoffner said.
He also added that the U.S. forces have also stepped up attacks on ISIL after being given additional authorities to go after the group, the general said.
ISIL has not had a lot of luck recruiting Afghans, Shoffner said, adding that he estimates there may be between 1,000 to 3,000 Afghan adherents to the group.
The remarks by Gen. Shoffner comes as a new report revealed that over 10,000 loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group are based in the remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the commander of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John Campbell, said late in December last year that foreign militants from Syria and Iraq had joined the loyalists of the terror group in eastern Nangarhar province as they are trying to consolidate links with the leadership of the terror group based in Syria and Iraq.http://www.khaama.com/isis-loyalists-attempting-to-establish-base-of-operations-in-nangarhar-0109
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