Alwaght- Afghan forces are planning to start a major offensive against ISIS Takfiri terrorist group in the eastern Nangarhar province, following an order by the country's president.
Speaking on Friday during a visit to the restive Nangarhar province, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani said the main purpose of the operation would be to eliminate the loyalists of the terror group from the region.
In an address to Afghan forces operating in the ISIS infested province, Ghani said the main focus of the annual Shafaq (Dawn) military operation, which is currently being conducted across the country, would be Nangarhar province from next week.
President Ghani ordered the 201st Silab Corps of the Afghan National Army to completely root out the terrorists from Nangarhar.
President Ghani further added that the difficult days in the country have gone but he cautioned that the enemies of Afghanistan are still plotting destructive activities.
He also visited the residents of Kot district and hailed for their resistance and fight against the loyalists of ISIS terrorist group.
The remarks by President Ghani come amid attempts by ISIS elements to spread their presence across the country.
Afghan officials estimate that around 1,000 to 3,000 ISIS terrorists are stationed in eastern Afghanistan and are trying to establish a base of operations in the rugged mountains of Nangahar Province.
Afghanistan has been facing a long-standing Taliban insurgency now ISIS has further compounded the country's war on Takifiri groups. Afghan security forces regularly conduct military operations against terrorists groups.
Afghanistan has been gripped by insurgency over the last 14 years after the United States and its allies attacked the country as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The foreign occupation forces have been unable to restore security in the country.
