Afghan forces kill, capture ISIS-K members in Ghor province

KABUL -- Afghan forces have killed an "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" Khorasan branch (ISIS-K) commander and one of his associates in a raid on a hideout in Ghor province.

The operation was carried out the evening of October 20 in the provincial capital Firoz Koh, according to Afghan authorities.

Security forces also arrested several individuals affiliated with ISIS-K during the operation.

Those detained were involved in last month's deadly attack on Shia civilians in Daikundi province, as well as terrorist attacks in Kabul and Bamiyan, Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the current Afghan administration, said on X.

Members of ISIS-K killed at least 14 Shia civilians and injured four others in a September 12 attack in Daikundi.

Security forces seized weapons, ammunition, hand grenades and explosives from the hideout, Mujahid said.

The group had been operating under the direct command of ISIS-K leaders based in Balochistan, Pakistan, he added.

Demands for justice

The families of the victims of last month's attack in Daikundi province welcomed the news.

Hussain Ali, 62, who lost his young son, called for just punishment of those detained.

"Since the day ISIS-K martyred my son, I have cried day and night," he told Salaam Times. "With the killing and capture of some of these terrorists by security forces, my heart has found some peace."

"We urge the government ... to ensure they face justice for their actions," he said.

Jawad Rezayee, 26, who lost his father, also called for the prompt trial and punishment of the detained ISIS members.

"To ease our grief and pain, the government must punish these terrorists," he said.

"My father was a farmer and spent his whole life in poverty, but ISIS-K brutally martyred him."

Growing ISIS-K influence

Last month's attack by ISIS-K on Shia civilians in Daikundi province and the presence of their hideouts in Ghor province indicate the growing influence of this terrorist group in Afghanistan's central regions, analysts say.

ISIS-K's influence and activities in these regions put all Shia civilians at risk, said Mohammad Naim Ghayur, a military analyst based in Italy.

"In the past, ISIS-K's hideouts were limited to the eastern provinces, but recently it has been seen infiltrating key provinces," he told Salaam Times. "The presence of ISIS in central provinces is concerning, as nearly everyone is a target of this terrorist group."

"The ISIS-K hideouts in central Afghanistan ... contribute to the insecurity of the north and west of the country," Ghayur said.

"Members of this group can easily infiltrate neighboring provinces and carry out terrorist attacks," he warned.