By Thomas WATKINS
The Islamic State's nascent presence in Afghanistan has dwindled after the US military stepped up strikes on the jihadists, a US general said Thursday, but warned they possess the ability to "catch fire" again.
In the first three months of the year, the US military conducted "just under" 100 counterterrorism strikes in Afghanistan, 70-80 of which targeted the IS group, Brigadier General Charles Cleveland said.
"The capacity of Daesh, we believe, has been lessened," the Kabul-based general told reporters, using an Arabic abbreviation for the IS group, which overran large areas of Syria and Iraq in a brutal offensive and has attempted to make inroads in war-torn Afghanistan too.
"Their overall footprint in Nangarhar we do believe has been lessened as well," he said, referring to a province in eastern Afghanistan where IS fighters have focused attention on the regional capital Jalalabad.
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