KABUL, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The government forces robust operations against Islamic State (IS) militants in the eastern Nangarhar province have shrunk their presence in the relatively restive province and the security forces in latest crackdown have killed 11 insurgents, Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
According to the statement, the government forces aircraft pounded IS hideouts in Achin district on Sunday night, killing 11 IS members and injuring several others, besides destroying their weapon caches and trenches.
A day earlier, Nangarhar's provincial governor Mohammad Gulab Mangal, in talks with reporters, reported the defeat of the group in the province.
"Militants affiliated to the Islamic State group who were active in Achin and Chaparhar district last year and used the said districts as their slaughterhouse disappeared today due to their defeat at the hands of security forces," local media quoted governor Mangal as saying.
"The security forces were able to defeat and evict the IS militants from their hideouts in Achin and Chaparhar districts over the past several months," the governor said, adding the villagers have already returned to their houses and live in peace since the defeat of the insurgents in the area.
However, the governor admitted that the IS militants are still active in remote areas of Nangarhar province, saying the security forces would continue to target the militants until the province is free of all insurgents.
Afghan security forces backed by U.S. and the NATO-led Resolute Support mission have increased ground and air offensives against militants over the past few months, obviously to weaken the armed opposition groups ahead of spring, commonly known as the start of fighting season in Afghanistan.