IS militants discovered in Afghan northern province

Militants loyal to the ultra-extremist Islamic State (IS) outfit have made their debut in the northern Badakhshan province over the past weeks, a local police official said Tuesday.

"Bunches of new militants carrying the black flag of Islamic State group have seen operating in the far-flanged areas of Jarm district including the strategically important mountainous Khostak valley over the past couple of weeks," Mohammad Akram told Xinhua.

The newly emerged hardliner militants have been pressing the villagers to joint their rank in the fight against government, the official added.

Ignoring the activities of IS militants in Badakhshan province by central government would destabilize Badakhshan and the neighboring Takhar, Kunduz and several more provinces in the north and northeastern region of Afghanistan, the official warned.

Militants loyal to IS have been operating in parts of the eastern Nangarhar province over the past one year and it is the first time that their activities have been reported outside Nangarhar in Badakhshan province.

Meanwhile, Badakhshan provincial police chief Ghulam Sakhi Ghafoori, in talks with local said that he would investigate the report on IS emergence in the relatively peaceful province. Endit