A lawmaker on Sunday said dozens of Daesh militants had arrived in eastern Kunar province along with their families and were looking for recruits.
Addressing the Meshrano Jirga or upper house of parliament, Senator Tayyib Ata from Kunar claimed at least 3,000 youngsters had so far swelled the Daesh ranks.
He warned if the Daesh’s recruitment drive was not prevented, the group would also extend its influence to other provinces and conduct destructive activities.
Ata said he was concerned about Daesh militants coming to Kunar from across the Durand Line and the group had recently become active in six districts, all bordering Pakistan.
The Daesh families, after being defeated during security operations in Achin district of Nangarhar, fled to Kunar and freely travelled across the Durand Line, he added.
He said Daesh militants six months ago tried to conduct disruptive activities in the province but people didn’t allow them to do so. The senator asked the authorities concerned to upgrade the Afghan National Army (ANA) battalion into brigade in the province. The presence of more security forces would help prevent insurgent groups from expanding their activities.
Farhad Sakhi, first deputy chairman of Senate, chairing the session, expressed concern over Daesh presence in Kunar and assigned the house internal security commission to investigate the issue thoroughly and report back to next general session.
Kunar Governor Waheedullah Kalimzai said he couldn’t deny the presence of Daesh in Kunar but said Daesh didn’t have a specific hideout but were individually active in the province.
He said security forces were making efforts to prevent the group from expanding and people would also not let the province become a Daesh centre.
