A military offensive against Islamic State in the Achin district of Afghanistan's Nangarhar province continued Friday for a fourth day, clearing areas once under IS control.
One man pointed to a nearby school.
“IS used to plan its evil activities there and then carry them out," he said. Now, government forces have retaken the building.
"They fled from here,” an Afghan soldier said of IS militants, “and left behind everything."
Government forces say dozens of IS fighters have been killed over the last few days, and many more have been wounded.
Even so, people nearby fear for their safety and are demanding that the government protect areas after clearing them of militants.
"Now we want them to create [checkpoints],” resident Mohammad Ali said of the government, “so that people could come back to their homes and children [could] go to school."
Afghan security forces say they will not stop their operations in the area until the IS group is eliminated.
