Afghanistan may hand over 13 Indian Islamic State terrorists under extradition treaty

Afghanistan could extradite 13 Indians who were among more than 600 Islamic State terrorists who surrendered to the Afghan National Army in the past few weeks.

Kabul’s decision came after India and Afghanistan last Sunday formalised the operation of their bilateral extradition treaty, sources told ET from Kabul.

They will be handed over after due processes in what would be a key milestone in the counter-terror partnership between the two nations, they said.

Hundreds of Islamic State fighters surrendered after separate operations by government forces over the past few weeks, an Afghan official told ET over the phone from Kabul.

In the past two weeks, 243 ISIS fighters and nearly 400 of their family members have surrendered, according to Afghanistan’s Nangarhar provincial governor Shah Mahmood Miakhel. Last Thursday, 82 fighters handed over their weapons and surrendered to security forces in Achin district of Nangarhar. They were accompanied by 51 women and 96 children.

Earlier, at least 300 ISIS members, including women and children, had surrendered to the Afghan Special Forces in Nangarhar, according to Waliullah, the army special forces commander in Achin district.

While the US defence ministry said in July that there were fewer than 2,000 ISIS fighters in Afghanistan, the United Nations said in the same month that there were between 2,500 and 4,000 fighters in that country.

Source: Economic Times