US strikes kill 25 Daesh militants in Afghanistan

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan

At least 25 suspected Daesh fighters were killed in U.S. air strikes in Afghanistan’s northern Jawzjan province bordering Turkmenistan, officials said Wednesday.

Mohammad Reza, spokesman for the provincial government in Jawzjan, told Anadolu Agency hideouts of Daesh militants in Darzaab district of the province were targeted.

“Twenty-five [Daesh] militants were killed. They included Uzbek, Chechen and Arab militants,” he said, adding there were no civilian casualties.

The strikes were carried out by Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, an American subsonic bomber aircraft.

This is the second northern province targeted by the U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) with this mighty bomber this week.

The campaign has been dubbed as "expansion of the U.S. air campaign to the North" by Nato.

The bomber has also been used to hit the Taliban's alleged poppy processing factories in Helmand province.

Besides the eastern Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan’s restive tribal belt, Jawzjan has recently emerged as a second strong bastion of pro-Daesh militants in Afghanistan.