Most IS men in Afghanistan are Pakistan Taliban fighters, says US Commander

Commander of the US and the NATO forces in Afghanistan Gen. John W. Nicholson has said almost 70 per cent of the fighters of the militant Islamic State (IS) group in Afghanistan are Pakistani Taliban who joined IS after having been forced out of their country.

"In the case of Islamic State Khorasan province, the majority of the members are from the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)," said Gen. Nicholson and added that many of these terrorists were forced out of Pakistan by the Zarb-i-Azb military operation, reports the Dawn.

He added that many IS fighters in Nangarhar province came from Pakistan's Orakzai tribal agency and that they were former members of the TTP but later pledged allegiance to the Islamic State earlier this year.

Gen Nicholson said the IS, also known by Arabic acronym Daesh, militants were exporting their radical ideology from their bases in Iraq and Syria to Afghanistan and other countries in the region.

"Daesh is only one of nine US-designated terrorist organisations here in Afghanistan. Additionally, there are three other violent extremist organisations. These groups are the principal focus of our counterterrorism mission," he said adding that besides Daesh and the Afghan Taliban, the Pakistani Taliban and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan were also operating.