Afghan official: IS kills 17 Afghan Army soldiers in east

KABUL – The Islamic State group launched an attack on Afghan security posts killing 17 soldiers, an Afghan official said Friday.

Ahmad Ali Hazrat, chief of the provincial council in the province, said the attack Thursday night took place in the Dih Bala district in eastern Nangarhar province.

Hazrat said IS fighters attacked Army security posts from three directions and after several hours of heavy fighting, 17 army soldiers were dead.

General Doulat Waziri , spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, said soldiers killed 21 IS fighters.

Also on Friday, an Afghan provincial official said Taliban forces stormed several Afghan security posts in eastern Kunar province, killing five police officers.

Provincial Gov. Waheedullah Kalimzai said the daring attacks lasted nearly two hours and were apparently co-ordinated but police, aided by other security officials, managed to repel the attackers and drove the insurgents from the area.

Kalimzai said another police officer is missing after the attack. He said Taliban fighters used heavy machine-guns and explosive devices in the assault. Kalimzai added that the Afghan police killed several Taliban fighters.

Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar province borders Pakistan. Insurgency groups have a strong presence in the area.