Afghanistan: ISIS Militants Kill 30 Hostages, Including Children
- Updated Oct 28, 2016
Militants who are likely associated with the Islamic State have killed at least 30 hostages, including children, in a revenge killing.
The Christian Post reports that the militants carried out the killings near Firoz Koh, the capital of Afghanistan’s Ghor province, on Tuesday.
The killings are thought to be an act of revenge for the killing of an Islamic State commander by security forces on Monday.
The Islamic State is attempting to establish a caliphate in Afghanistan, just like in Iraq and Syria.
“Right now we see them very focused on trying to establish their caliphate, the Khorasan caliphate, inside Afghanistan," General John Nicholson told NBC News on Sunday.
ISIS militants in Afghanistan carry out most of their attacks through the Haqqani network which is actually based across the border in Pakistan. They also primarily target Christians and other religious minorities, but they also see Muslims belonging to other sects as enemies.
Some 13,000 airstrikes have been carried out against the militants, but they still have around 18,000 to 22,000 fighters. The area the jihadis control has also been shrinking. They now control 25,290 square miles, down from 30,115.
Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com
Publication date: October 28, 2016
