Islamic State fighters said to be in Afghanistan скачать в хорошем качестве

Islamic State fighters said to be in Afghanistan

(26 May 2015) Fighters allied to the Islamic State (IS) militant group are said to be in Afghanistan, according to the governor of the country's besieged northern province. In an interview with The Associated Press, Kunduz provincial governor Mohammad Omer Safi said the Taliban are fighting alongside militants who have pledged allegiance to the IS group in order to create a new safe haven for extremists who have been driven out of Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region. Safi said that in addition to switching from hit-and-run attacks to seizing and holding territory, the Taliban have also been joined by other militants, including from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). The IMU has longstanding ties to the Taliban and al-Qaida, and is believed to have pledged allegiance to the IS group last year. There are ominous signs of a growing IS presence in northern Afghanistan. Safi said fighters have raised the group's black flag in nearby villages, and that foreign fighters from Turkey, Chechnya, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have been found among the dead. However, a Western intelligence official who spoke on background as he was not permitted to speak publicly on the issue, said the extent of any IS presence in northern Afghanistan remained unclear and had not yet been corroborated. The provincial administration has called up local militia groups, arming around 1,000 men who joined front line battles and now conduct patrols through areas cleared of insurgents. The Taliban have been battling Kabul since their overthrow by the United States in 2001 following the 11 September attacks. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...