The Taliban defends the operation in the Karta-e-Sakhi area, in Kabul, by saying that IS-K intended to use the “nest” they had hidden in to target Shia Afghans who would congregate there for Ashura, a religious occasion for Shia Muslims to mourn.
The Taliban’s senior spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, stated in a series of tweets that the group besieged a house that served as an IS-K “nest” meant to be used for attacking Shia Afghans during an operation that lasted for hours in the Afghan capital’s Karta-e-Sakhi area.
Mujahid wrote “Kharijites,” implying IS-K militants, noting that four of them were killed and one was apprehended during the Taliban operation in the Karta-e-Sakhi area.
Residents in the area said that the clash began before noon on Wednesday, August 3 and that both light and heavy weaponry were being used heavily.
Mujahid further stated that a considerable supply of weapons and ammunition were taken from the IS-K hideout by the Taliban forces.
In this clash, two Taliban police officers including a policewoman were killed, and four others were wounded, according to Khalid Zadran, the spokesman for the Taliban Kabul Police.
The Taliban forces, according to him, conducted their operations with caution and without harming any civilians.
Ashura is a day of mourning for Shia Muslims since it commemorates the anniversary of the killing of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Hussein during the Battle of Karbala.
