KABUL, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Despite continued military operations by Afghan security forces backed by NATO-led coalition troops to drive out Islamic State (IS) militants from isolated areas of eastern province of Nangarhar, the IS fighters remained a big threat there.
On Thursday evening, the U.S. military dropped a GBU-43 or Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb, the largest non-nuclear bomb, on an IS cave complex in Achin district, Nangahar Province, bordering Pakistan.
At least 82 militants of IS group had been killed following the raid that also destroyed a big IS hideout along with several bunkers as well as a 300-meter-long tunnels, according to Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman of the provincial government.
He said on his twitter account that the number of casualties on IS fighters may further go up as the assessment of the aftermath of the attack was going on in the mountainous region.
Earlier on Friday, the Afghan Defense Ministry, based on initial findings, said that 36 IS militants were killed.
"A senior IS commander named Seddiqyar was among the killed. This strike has a clear message for terrorists that they will be targeted anywhere and they cannot use Afghanistan as a safe place to launch terrorist attacks," the Afghan Media and Information Center said in a statement.
The strike, which occurred in Mohmand Dara village, Asadkhil area of the district, was aiming to help movement of joint security forces to eliminate IS from Nangarhar province, it said, adding that now, the security forces can easily enter the area to clear it from IS militants.
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