In Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Islamic State militants overtook a prison in a lengthy attack that lasted almost a day and left 39 people dead. The group of militants was able to free nearly 400 of their fighters before Afghan security forces were able to re-establish control over the prison. The attack highlighted the fact that the Islamic State terrorist group in Afghanistan has maintained a formidable presence, underscoring the challenges ahead as NATO and US military forces begin to withdraw from the region in accordance with a peace deal with the Taliban.
The peace accord aims to recruit Taliban members to battle IS militants, which is reportedly the biggest threat to national security in Afghanistan. The Taliban and the Islamic State group are rivals and often clash independently. At least 10 of the casualties from the attack were IS militants attempting to free their comrades from the Jalalabad prison, according to local sources. The rest of the casualties were prisoners, civilians, and Afghan forces, however, no official breakdown was released.
Read More: Afghan forces retake prison after deadly attack by IS group