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Earlier this week, the Islamic State in Afghanistan picked up equipment left behind during a U.S. Army Ranger operation in Nangarhar province. Pictures of the lost gear were posted on Twitter. The gear belonged to multiple Rangers and was lost during movement under fire from one casualty collection point to another.Now, reports indicate that the operations in Nangarhar have been a resounding success. An operation that took place two weeks ago killed an estimated 300 Islamic State fighters and several leaders.
The operation was led by Afghan soldiers who were partnered with United States soldiers.The offensive was intended to degrade the capabilities of ISIS, according to General John Nicholson, the top US commander in Afghanistan.The Islamic State in Afghanistan is believed to operate primarily in three or four of the more than 400 districts of Afghanistan.The group, which originated in Syria and Iraq, took responsibility last month for a bombing in the capital, Kabul, which targeted Shiite Hazaras and killed more than 80 people.It is believed that over 25% of the entire fighting strength of the Islamic State was killed during the operation.ISIS in Afghanistan originated in 2015 and had around 3,000 fighters at one point. Many ISIS fighters are simply Taliban who have re-branded themselves under the black flag of the organization.
