KABUL: Afghanistan by taxing locals who illegally traffic timber, say residents in eastern Kunar province where the militants operate their own “customs” office. It comes after many of the hundreds of Taliban fighters in Kunar switched allegiance to ISIL.
The extremist group has been expanding its footprint in Afghanistan since Nato ended its combat mission in 2014. And although US president Donald Trump promised to “obliterate” ISIL when unveiling his new strategy for Afghanistan in August last year, locals in Kunar say the extremists’ reach there only seems to be growing.
