In a statement the group vowed to ramp up operations against Afghan and foreign forces "their military and intelligence infrastructure". "The fight against ISIS-K is important for the world, but sadly, it is not without sacrifice", said General John W. Nicholson, Commander, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan.
The Taliban statement said they would focus on state-building and "establishing mechanisms for social justice and development" in the areas under their control.
They're fighting them, too, along with the Americans and the Afghans. Operations would include "conventional attacks, guerrilla warfare, complex martyrdom attacks, insider attacks, and use of IEDs".
U.S. Army soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment search mountains in the Andar province of Afghanistan for Taliban members and weapons caches.
The massacre last Friday saw insurgents armed with guns and suicide bombs slaughter at least 135 young recruits, according to the official toll, though multiple sources have claimed it is much higher. It is thought to be the deadliest strike by the Taliban on an Afghan military target.
There are some 8,400 USA personnel stationed there now to train and advise Afghan forces and support a counterterrorism unit against the various militant networks.
Cinco de Mayo: Why is it a holiday?
TGI Fridays: The restaurant is offering deals on its signature Casamigos Strawberry 'Ritas and Suaza 'Ritas on Cinco De Mayo . Cinco de Mayo is held on the anniversary of the Mexican army's victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
Authorities have arrested 35 soldiers who served on the sprawling base, home to the 209th Army Corps, outside the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. There have been 1,835 American troops killed in action since USA -led invasion in late 2001.
Achin District is the primary base of operations for ISIS in Afghanistan and has been the site of multiple joint US-Afghan counterterrorism missions. A United Nations report for the first quarter of 2017 showed children are paying an increasingly disproportionate price, with 210 killed from January to March, up 17 percent from the same period past year.
IS militants have also established a small stronghold in the east and have carried out attacks in Kabul.
The deaths come just days after Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited Afghanistan to assess the security situation and advance deliberations about the Trump administration's strategy for America's longest war.
Washington now has around 8,400 troops stationed in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led Resolute Support training mission. This is the so-called counterterror mission.
That bomb targeted a sprawling Islamic State tunnel complex, and although Afghan officials said between 36 and about 100 Islamic State fighters were killed in the strike, the USA military has not announced what exactly the bombing accomplished.
Comments