IEA say they have raided Daesh hideout north of Kabul

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) forces raided a Daesh (ISIS-K) hideout north of Kabul on Friday, killing and arresting an unspecified number of militants, an IEA spokesman said.

Since the IEA’s takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August, there has been an increase in attacks by Daesh militants targeting IEA members.

The IEA and Daesh are enemies, and the attacks have raised the specter of a wider conflict between the long-time rivals.

In late August, a Daesh suicide bomber targeted U.S. evacuation efforts outside Kabul international airport in one of the deadliest attacks in the country in years. The blast killed 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members.

IEA spokesman Bilal Karimi told The Associated Press that Friday’s raid took place in the city of Charikar in Parwan province. He did not provide more details.

The raid followed an arrest by the IEA of two Daesh members linked to a roadside bombing that targeted their vehicle in the city, wounding four IEA force, Karimi said. The two were questioned and the information they provided helped the IEA identify the hideout, he added.

Daesh is based largely in eastern Nangarhar province but the group has ramped up attacks across Afghanistan since the IEA takeover.

Several IEA force have been killed in Daesh attacks in the provincial capital of Jalalabad. In response, the IEA have carried out crackdowns in Nangarhar.