At least three Taliban insurgents have been killed and three others wounded in a series of attacks in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, medical officials, local officials and residents said on Sunday.
Gunmen shot and killed at least three Taliban members in the Behboud district, while three others were injured in two blasts in another part of the city, a hospital source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
A local official, Hanif Nangarhari, confirmed that three members of the Taliban security forces had been injured in two explosions and gunfire in Jalalabad. He claimed that three other people were killed in internal clashes, without giving further details.
There is – unconfirmed – information about eight dead and 17 injured in yesterday’s attacks.
“There were two explosions that hit the Taliban, then Daesh fighters got involved in an exchange of fire and finally managed to escape,” said a resident of the city, using an IK acronym in Arabic.
“Fierce fighting took place, the attackers dropped two or three grenades,” said another resident.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Nangarhar has been the scene of clashes between Taliban members and Islamic State jihadists since August 15, when the Islamist movement seized power in Afghanistan.
Following the rise of the Taliban, the IK seems to be intensifying and expanding its activities.
Last Tuesday, five ISIS jihadists attacked the main military hospital in Kabul with at least 19 dead, including the head of the Taliban’s military forces in the capital (24884246).
More than 100 civilians were killed in two attacks in Kunduz and Kandahar provinces last month.
Relations between the Taliban and the Islamic State are characterized by mutual hatred. The two main Sunni groups clashed after the IK emerged in Afghanistan in early 2015.
.
