Afghan and US Special Operation Against Islamic State Fighters
Afghan and US Special Operation Against Islamic State Fighters: U.S. and Afghan special-operations troops are carrying out a major air and ground offensive to clear Islamic State fighters from a district where the militant group aspires to make its local capital.
The operation, launched unannounced at the end of last month, has killed some 140 Islamic State fighters in Deh Bala district, according to the U.S. military.
The U.S. military reported no American or Afghan government soldiers killed in the offensive, which is expected to continue over the coming days or weeks.
Deh Bala is key ground in Islamic State’s efforts to maintain a foothold in Afghanistan. It sits nestled against the Pakistan border in Nangarhar Province, where in 2014 fighters aligning themselves with Islamic State set up an Afghan branch of the caliphate the group had declared in Syria and Iraq. A year later, Islamic State controlled nine districts in Nangarhar.
The Taliban are the largest, most potent insurgency fighting the U.S.-backed Kabul government. Islamic State—known locally as Islamic State-Khorasan or ISIS-K—is trying to hold on to turf in Afghanistan as it has lost ground in Syria and Iraq. The group has a smaller presence in two other provinces and has claimed responsibility for headline-grabbing suicide bombings in Kabul.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani this week declared a temporary cease-fire with the Taliban, with whom Kabul and Washington seek a peace agreement. But the U.S. and Afghan campaign continues unabated against the more radical and globally minded Islamic State, which is estimated to have 1,500 to 2,000 fighters in Afghanistan.
Where it holds sway, the group imposes its harsh brand of Islam on the civilian population and, according to locals, hunts down people tied to the government or military. The group demands tax payments and smuggles minerals and timber to fund its operations.
With U.S. ground and air support, Afghan forces have over the past two years pushed Islamic State out of some stronghold valleys, while the militants have fortified positions in others.
The Deh Bala offensive was designed as a multipronged attack on hundreds of Islamic State militants dug in in Gurgoray Valley, some 10 miles from the towering mountains along the Pakistan border.
“Afghan commandos, advised by Special Forces teams, have dealt significant blows” to Islamic State, said Lt. Col. Joshua Thiel, commander of 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group.
The U.S. military said civilians have fled the battlefield, giving allied forces a freer hand to operate.
“ISIS says that Deh Bala is their capital, but Afghan people don’t like ISIS,” said Lt. Col. Thiel. “They wanted ISIS out of their homes.” Islamic State, however, has proven resilient in the past, moving from one valley to another and restocking its ranks with recruits from the Pakistan side of the border. Local officials fear the militant group will rebound if the government fails to insert sufficient police to keep the peace once the offensive ends.
“We need to prevent the militants from coming back,” Mr. Basharmal said.
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