Kabul, Sept 30: Afghanistan’s Taliban government tonight announced conclusion of three-day operations to foil Pakistan-aided iinfiltration by a large number of ISIS terrorists and other mercenaries by killing 41 of them and capturing 62 alive.
Around 300 heavily-armed men had attempted to sneak into Afghanistan from Pakistan via the border in Nuristan province on September 27.
These infiltrators were intercepted by the Afghan forces, triggering large-scale and fierce gun battles which went on for three days.
Tonight, the Afghan Ministry of Defence posted on X that the operations conducted against “disruptive elements and ISIS insurgents in Nuristan were concluded”.
It said the insurgents had crossed the Durand Line (border) into Afghan territory in Kamdesh district of Nuristan province “with the support of the Pakistani military regime”.
In the course of these operations, a total of 41 of these disruptive elements and ISIS terrorists were killed while 62 others were captured alive, the ministry said.
It warned that if anyone attempts to do such a thing again, a greater response will be given by the Afghans.
On the first day itself, Afghan forces killed 28 intruders from Pakistan and captured over 30 others after detecting the incursion.
Videos on social media show several men in the custody of Afghan forces stating that they had been trained and sent to Afghanistan by Pakistani intelligence agencies to cause destruction in the country.
The development comes amidst escalating tensions between the two neighbours after Pakistan conducted air strikes in Afghanistan twice a few days back, once targeting the spiritual base of the Taliban regime in Kandahar Province.
The Pakistani air strikes on Thursday killed at least four people, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban government said and pledged to deliver an “appropriate response”. (NVI)
