Afghan officials: US drone kills 14 IS in eastern province

KABUL – Afghan officials say a U.S. drone strike has killed 14 Islamic State militants in a remote area in Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar province.

Abdul Ghani Musamim, spokesman for the provincial governor, said on Saturday that the strike took place on Thursday afternoon in the Chawkay district. He says it targeted a meeting of IS commanders planning for a terrorist attack. The government has no control of the remote area where Afghanistan’s IS affiliate has managed to establish a presence.

The spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, Dawlat Waziri, also confirmed the report.

There was no immediate comment from the U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan.

However, lawmaker Shazada Shaheed rejected the report, claiming the victims of the strike were civilians.

The IS affiliate has grown in Afghanistan over the last few years.