KABUL: The Afghan military says its air force has hit militant Islamic State (IS) group fighters in the eastern province of Nangarhar, killing at least 40 insurgents.

Defence Ministry spokesman Gen Dawlat Waziri says the airstrike took place late Thursday night in Achin district and also wounded several IS militants.

District governor Ghalib Mujahid says the airstrike targeted a meeting of IS fighters that was underway in the Pikha Lataband area.

He says most of the dead were foreign fighters and that their bodies were collected by the local villagers and handed over to IS, which has gained a foothold in Nangarhar.

Explore: Ghalib Mujahid ─ The man leading the fight against IS

Opinion

Editorial

Digital deal
19 Jun, 2026

Digital deal

THINGS have moved rapidly where the Iran-US memorandum of understanding is concerned. While the physical document ...
Failing the public
19 Jun, 2026

Failing the public

WHETHER it is Sindh’s struggle to secure clean drinking water or Balochistan’s difficulty in improving the...
Crushed lives
19 Jun, 2026

Crushed lives

COURTS and commissions have often been up in arms over the health and ecological hazards associated with...
Words that wound
Updated 18 Jun, 2026

Words that wound

Hate speech rarely begins with physical attacks.
‘New urban province’
18 Jun, 2026

‘New urban province’

CONSIDERING the advance state of urban decay that affects Karachi, voices are often raised calling for the megacity,...
Punjab budget: mixed bag
18 Jun, 2026

Punjab budget: mixed bag

PUNJAB’S budget for FY27 is a mix of good and bad political choices, with a cash-strapped centre tightening the...