Taliban say they attacked IS hideout north of Kabul

KABUL, Afghanistan – Taliban fighters raided an ISIS hideout north of the Afghan capital on Friday, killing and arresting an unknown number of militants, a Taliban spokesperson said.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in mid-August, there has been an increase in attacks by IS militants against members of the Taliban. The Taliban and IS are enemies, and the attacks have raised the specter of a wider conflict between longtime rivals.

In late August, an IS suicide bomber targeted US evacuation efforts outside Kabul International Airport in one of the country’s deadliest attacks in years. The explosion killed 169 Afghans and 13 US servicemen.

Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi told The Associated Press that Friday’s raid took place in the town of Charikar, in Parwan province. He did not provide further details and his statement could not be independently verified.

The raid follows the Taliban’s arrest of two ISIS operatives linked to a roadside bombing that targeted their vehicle in the town, injuring four fighters, Karimi said. The two were questioned and the information they provided helped the Taliban identify the hiding place, he added.

IS is largely based in the eastern province of Nangarhar, but the group has stepped up its attacks across Afghanistan since the Taliban took control. Several Taliban fighters were killed in IS attacks in the provincial capital of Jalalabad. In response, the Taliban carried out crackdowns in Nangarhar.