KABUL (TCA) — Afghanistan military officials say 113 members of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group surrendered to Afghan government forces on December 1 in the Achin district of Nangarhar Province, RFE/RL reported.
A statement from the 201st Corps of the Afghan National Army said those who surrendered included 49 IS fighters along with 21 women thought to be the wives of IS fighters and 43 children.
The statement said IS militants also handed over 35 weapons to the security forces.
Dozens of IS fighters and their families have been living in the Shinwari district and other nearby areas of Nangarhar Province since the group announced its presence in Afghanistan in 2014.
Those areas are mostly between the Afghan city of Jalalabad and the nearby border with Pakistan.
IS militants have fought against both Taliban militants and Afghan government forces in Afghanistan, as well as claiming responsibility for numerous bomb attacks against civilians in the country.
In recent months, Afghan government forces have been conducting operations against the IS extremists in the Achin district. Afghan officials say that offensive formally ended on November 30.
They say more than 1,000 IS fighters and their family members have surrendered since the offensive began.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said during a recent visit to Nangarhar Province that IS extremists have been defeated in the area.
