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Daesh-linked militants kill 5 Afghan officers in Nangarhar

This January 20, 2016 photo shows alleged militants with the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group standing handcuffed while being presented to the media at a police headquarters in Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. (AFP photo)

Militants affiliated with the Takfiri Daesh terrorists killed five Afghan police officers in Nangarhar province during the early hours of Saturday, says an official.

Attahullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the governor in Nangarhar, said the Daesh terrorists attacked the police headquarters in Dih Bala district at about 2:00 a.m. local time, killing the district police chief and four other officers.

Khogyani said six officers were also wounded and 13 militants were killed in the clashes that ensued.

An offshoot of Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement online, claiming that a total of 14 officers, including the top commander, were killed.

The Takfiri group, which is mainly based in Iraq and Syria, has managed to make some inroads in Afghanistan. Nangarhar, which borders Pakistan, has been the main area where Daesh has managed to carry out high-profile attacks.

Reports say that the group has also managed to establish connections with break-away factions of the Taliban militant group, especially those believed to be discontent with changes in Taliban’s leadership. Daesh has also enjoyed defections from al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, although the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, pledged allegiance earlier on Saturday to the new Taliban leader.

The rise of Daesh has already worried officials in the Afghan capital, Kabul.


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