Afghan Special Security Forces and U.S. Special Operators eliminated four ISIS-K fighters during a partnered nighttime raid in the isolated village of Mughul, Darzab district, Jowzjan province, Afghanistan, Mar. 22, 2018. This tactical defeat of ISIS-K fighters in Jowzjan is the most recent in a series of Afghan and U.S. SOF counterterrorism successes targeting ISIS-K northern Afghanistan this year.
On Jan. 28. Afghan forces captured Khitab Aka, ISIS-K's head facilitator of foreign fighters in Jowzjan.
Less than two months later, on Mar. 16, a U.S. airstrike killed Aka's replacements, ISIS-K Khitaba (platoon-sized) commanders Omair and Abu Samaya as the duo met in Sar-e Pul province.
Later that evening, an ASSF nighttime raid on the ISIS-K headquarters in Jowzjan resulted in the removal of another 13 terrorists.
Despised by the overwhelming majority of Afghans and ineffective in recruiting from the Afghan population, ISIS-K relies on exploiting tribal rivalries for short-term allegiance and external support for fighters, equipment and financing. More than 140 ISIS-K aligned fighters have been killed in remote regions Jowzjan, Kunar, and Nangarhar provinces this year.