Afghanistan says 28 killed, 32 captured in Nuristan operation

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense says its forces have killed 28 people and captured 32 others during an operation against groups it accused of attempting to enter the country through the Durand Line in Kamdesh district of Nuristan province.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the ministry said several groups affiliated with Daesh, along with what it described as “Shar-o-Fasad” elements, crossed into Afghan territory with the support and encouragement of Pakistani militias, allegedly with the aim of carrying out acts of subversion and creating insecurity.

The ministry said Afghan security and defense forces responded by launching operations against the groups.

“Twenty-eight of them were killed, while another 32 were captured alive,” the statement said. It added that a number of others fled back across the Durand Line or to the centres of Pakistani militias.

The Defense Ministry further claimed that Pakistani military personnel, Pakistan-affiliated “Arbaki” forces and Daesh elements were present in coordination with the groups, but fled the battlefield once fighting began.

The ministry also alleged that many of those involved were former military personnel who served under Afghanistan’s previous government.

According to the statement, Pakistani intelligence agencies allegedly took some of them to Pakistan after promising assistance in securing asylum and employment abroad, before transferring them to military camps along the Durand Line for training.

The ministry claimed the individuals were subsequently sent into Afghanistan to create insecurity in Nuristan.

It called on young people and former military personnel who it said had been deceived by Pakistani intelligence agencies and “Shar-o-Fasad” elements to avoid becoming involved in such activities and to surrender to Afghan security forces.

The statement also urged countries in the region to remain vigilant over what it described as Pakistan’s efforts to export conflict by training and deploying hostile groups into neighbouring countries.