By Najim Rahim and Rod Nordland
MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan — More than 200 Islamic State fighters in addition to their 2 hand commanders surrendered to the Afghan authorities on Midweek to avoid capture past times Taliban insurgents, afterwards a two-day battle that was a decisive victory for the Taliban, participants on all sides confirmed.One of the Islamic State commanders, Mufti Nemat, was reached past times Galvanic cell afterwards his surrender, in addition to he confirmed that he in addition to 200 to 250 of his fighters had turned themselves inwards to the authorities afterwards the battle inwards northern Afghanistan, inwards which forty of his insurgents had been killed past times the Taliban. “It was a black night, a pell-mell situation,” he said. “For 2 to 3 nights, nosotros stimulate got been unable to sleep; nosotros are really exhausted.” The spokesman for Afghanistan’s commando forces, Maj. Ahmad Jawid Salim, said inwards a post on his Facebook page that the surrenders marked the halt of the Islamic State inwards northern Afghanistan.
“After the give upwards of to a greater extent than than 200 Daeshis inwards Darzab District lastly night, the Daeshis stimulate got been wiped out of the north,” he said, using an option cite for Islamic State members.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban, who was likewise reached past times cellphone, said that afterwards the onslaught on the Islamic State group, the Taliban had taken 128 fighters prisoner, amongst the residue fleeing to authorities positions inwards the area. “There volition live investigations, in addition to our armed forces courts volition make upwards one's heed on their fates,” he said. “Let’s encounter what happens.”
The Taliban in addition to the Islamic State are bitter enemies inwards Afghanistan, attacking each other wherever they can. The Islamic State’s main concentration is inwards the due south of Nangarhar Province, inwards eastern Afghanistan, but they had some other major grouping inwards the northern say of Jowzjan, peculiarly inwards Darzab, the district that was Mr. Nemat’s stronghold.
Mr. Nemat refused to give details of the grapple against the Taliban or to let on why he had decided to surrender. He was critical of the government, however, proverb that the Afghan National Army had promised to shipping helicopters to evacuate him in addition to his followers, who included thirty women.
“It was an emergency situation,” he said. “We were promised choppers roughly ix p.m. lastly nighttime to evacuate us, but unfortunately naught came.”
Instead, the Islamic State fighters fled on human foot to authorities lines, but to a greater extent than could stimulate got escaped the Taliban pursuit, Mr. Nemat said. “We lost contact amongst the others lastly night. I intend they contacted the Taliban or went somewhere else.”
Among his followers, he said, were virtually 25 to thirty foreigners, to a greater extent than oft than non from Central Asian countries, but likewise 2 Frenchmen, known solely past times Standard Arabic pseudonyms, Abu Mohammad in addition to Abu Mariam.
In add-on to Mr. Nemat, who is likewise known every bit Mufti Nematullah Qaweem, the other Islamic State armed forces commander, Maulavi Habib ul-Rahman, surrendered to the Afghan authorities forces, according to Abdul Hafiz Khashi, the deputy constabulary primary of Jowzjan Province. The 2 leaders are brothers-in-law.
“The areas the Daeshis controlled were taken past times the Taliban,” Mr. Khashi said.
The constabulary primary of Darzab, Capt. Mohammad Ismail Mubarez, said the Taliban had forced the Islamic State fighters to give upwards to the authorities side. “Two hundred of them surrendered,” he said. “They came at iv inwards the morning time amongst their weapons.”
The defeat was the latest inwards a serial of setbacks for the Islamic State inwards Khorasan, every bit the group’s affiliate inwards Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan calls itself. Since lastly year, their positions inwards southern Nangarhar Province stimulate got been battered past times American airstrikes in addition to the world attacks from American in addition to Afghan Special Forces.
The grouping has reacted inwards Nangarhar Province past times concentrating its attacks on civilian “soft targets,” most late on Tuesday, amongst an attack on a refugee agency. The Afghan authorities responded to that gear upwards on past times declaring that the regular army would stimulate got accuse of safety inwards Jalalabad, the working capital missive of the alphabet of Nangarhar Province, from Wednesday.
In northern Afghanistan, Mr. Nemat was a erstwhile Taliban leader who had switched sides to the authorities inwards a bargain brokered past times the country’s starting fourth dimension vice president, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum. Last year, Mr. Nemat switched sides again, this fourth dimension to the Islamic State. Initially, he was successful, overrunning authorities positions inwards Darzab, in addition to the grouping gained traction elsewhere inwards the northward every bit well.
In April, however, the American armed forces said that it had killed the overall Islamic State commander inwards the north, Qari Hekmatullah, inwards an airstrike.
According to Maulavi Abdulhai Hayat, caput of the Jowzjan provincial council’s safety committee, virtually 2,000 Taliban militants late gathered inwards Jowzjan from every bit far away every bit Helmand Province inwards the south, amongst the aim of destroying the Islamic State. While both the authorities in addition to the Taliban wanted to halt the Islamic State inwards the north, at that spot was picayune sign of cooperation betwixt them inwards the recent battle, he said.
After a calendar month of heavy fighting inwards the area, the Islamic State fighters suffered 100 fatalities in addition to were pinned downwardly to 2 villages inwards Darzab, in addition to when the concluding battle began 2 days ago, those militants offered to give upwards to the government, Mr. Hayat said.
To facilitate that, authorities forces in addition to then bombed Taliban positions to forbid them from capturing all of the Islamic State fighters themselves, he added.
Mr. Nemat suggested inwards the interview on Midweek that he mightiness live cook to switch sides again. “If you’ll remember,” he said, “in the past times I brought 200 of my men in addition to joined the government.”
For the fourth dimension being, however, Afghan officials said that Mr. Nemat in addition to his followers were prisoners, non allies. After switching allegiance to the Islamic State, many of them boasted of engaging inwards acts of extreme barbarism that are that organization’s calling card, such every bit beheadings in addition to the purpose of tike soldiers.
Residents of Darzab traveled to the Jowzjan provincial capital, Sheberghan, to petition the governor to punish the Islamic State prisoners for the crimes they committed spell inwards command of their area, according to local officials.
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