An unknown number of foreign militants apparently affiliated to the Islamic State has penetrated into Afghanistan's northern Badakhshan province, an official said on Wednesday.
"Numerous foreign militants, including Kazakhs, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Uyghurs, obviously affiliated to the Islamic State, have penetrated to Badakhshan and settled in parts of Wardoj, Yamgan and Khostak Valley of Jarm district over the past several months," Wardoj district Governor Dawlat Khan Khawari told Xinhua news agency.
Some of the foreign militants have also taken their families to these areas, the official added.
Although the foreign fighters have not hoisted the IS flag, the "intelligence reports suggest they are IS fighters," Khawari asserted.
Masoud Arshad, a spokesman for Badakhshan police, confirmed the presence of foreign insurgents in the relatively troubled province but added that "no activities to prove IS presence" have been reported.
Zia Din, an elder from Wardoj district, also attested to the presence of foreign militants and contended that the foreign fighters, besides creating law and order problems, have also been forcing the locals to provide food to them.
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--IANS
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