By Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam

KABUL (Reuters). -Taliban government troops destroyed an Islamic State cell located in Kabul’s north late Sunday. This was a lengthy assault that disrupted the tranquility of a typically quiet region of Kabul, residents and officials said.

Afghanistan is in serious trouble with its economy and there are large parts of Afghanistan at risk of starvation. The presence of a militant cell, which appears to be well-armed in Kabul, underscores the enormity of the task facing the government.

After a bombing attack on a Kabul mosque earlier in the day, which was later claimed and claimed by Islamic State, the Taliban operations were launched. In what was deemed the deadliest attack on the Afghan capital in August, a large number of civilians were injured and killed in this blast.

After an old name, ISIS-Khorasan, the local Islamic State affiliate, claims to have attacked Taliban targets. It is still not reconciled with the Afghan Islamist movement.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban, stated that a Taliban special unit conducted an operation against ISIS elements within Kabul’s 17th District, which is in Kabul’s northern, and destroyed their base, killing all of them.

According to local residents, the Taliban troops surrounded the area and began their assault around 7.30 pm. There was a lengthy firefight which lasted many hours that ended with at least two explosions from suspected ISIS fighters.

Hashmatullah, an area shopkeeper said: “For approximately three hours, the clashes had been very intense. Many powerful explosions also occurred.”

A local resident said that a car filled with explosives exploded at 11.30 pm, killing the ISIS fighters inside the house where it was located.

According to him, sporadic gunfire can be heard around the compound in the early hours of the morning and late into the evening.

On Monday, Taliban soldiers made sure that pickup trucks transported furniture from the damaged compound. They also sealed the site, removing any potential dangers to the surrounding area.

LIEGERING OVER SECURITY THREATS

Taliban also fight the remaining forces of Ahmad Massoud’s opposition leaders from Panjshir north of Kabul. They claim to have nearly complete control.

However, Sunday’s violence and other incidents, including those in Nangarhar, north of Kabul at the Pakistani border, show that security threats are not gone.

Telegram broadcast by Islamic State’s Amaq news agency stated that the terrorist group was responsible for the bombing of the Mosque.

IS also claimed responsibility in bombing attacks on Jalalabad, an eastern city. Also in August there was a suicide attack that left 13 U.S. troops dead and hundreds of Afghan civilians injured.

Samiullah is a Kabul resident and runs a street vending machine near the mosque. He said that although the economy had deteriorated following the Taliban takeover in 2001, the security situation has improved.

He said, “We are sorry that the situation has gotten worse.” He spoke to Reuters near the mosque after being directed to get out of his regular spot. The situation is far from normal. The Taliban are the only ones allowed to be in this zone.