Taliban to create special unit to fight Islamic State

Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada has ordered the creation of a special unit to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIL) and other groups.

Afghanistan International reports that Akhundzada, in a letter to the group's military commission, ordered the mobilisation of unemployed Taliban fighters for the unit, according to Afghanistan International.

The unit will be equipped with modern technology and will conduct operations based on intelligence information obtained by the group, the report said.

The Interior Ministry has asked Afghan provincial authorities to prepare a list of unemployed Taliban fighters. Taliban leaders are concerned about unemployed fighters joining ISIS and other groups, the publication said.