Ongoing clashes between Taliban and Islamic State militants in western Afghanistan have left at least 27 insurgents dead and 20 other people injured, officials told Efe news agency on Monday.Afghan military spokesperson Mohamad Hanif Rezaey specified that 15 IS militants and 12 from the Taliban were killed in fighting on Sunday afternoon in three areas within Farah province's Khak-e-Safid district.Among the injured were 13 IS members and seven from Taliban ranks."Taliban fighters captured alive 12 alleged IS members, including four women of foreign nationalities, however their nationalities are still uncertain," the spokesperson explained, adding that Afghan security forces would not intervene unless civilians become involved.Armed feuds broke out just a few hours after NATO's mission in Afghanistan warned of the growing IS presence in the country, while the government has been at war with the Taliban for 14 years.
The spokesperson of the Atlantic alliance's Resolute Support mission, Armando Perez, told Efe on Sunday that although the development of the insurgent group was still unstable, "it continues to have aspirations for the entire region" and has been recruiting actively.In the last two weeks, at least 19 insurgents from both groups have lost their lives in clashes to gain control over several strategic areas in the province of Nangarhar in eastern Afghanistan.At the end of 2014, NATO terminated its International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan to make way for Operation Resolute Support, under which NATO maintains around 4,000 soldiers to train and support Afghan security forces.Meanwhile, the US has about 11,000 soldiers in Afghanistan under its anti-terrorism combat mandate until at least 2016, as Washington re-evaluates its withdrawal timeframe.