By Zabihullah Tamanna
KABUL, Afghanistan
More than 100 Afghan civilians have been killed in five days of brutal fighting in eastern Afghanistan.
A senior local official in Ghazni province, south-east of Kabul, claimed there was evidence that the influence of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, was spreading to the region with militants using more vicious methods.
Deputy Provincial Governor Mohammad Ali Ahmadi said the violence in Ajristan district had been marked by beheadings, torched homes and slaughtered livestock with at least 50 police killed and around 250 homes set ablaze.
He said Taliban fighters linked to ISIL have been active in the province and have raised its flag in certain areas, campaigning in support of the Syria and Iraq-based group.
"Brutally killing civilians, blazing houses and the slaughtering of livestock in Ajristan district resemble the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham in the Middle East," Ahmadi added, referring to the group by an alternative name.
"Militants have beheaded 15 to 17 family members of anti-Taliban Arbakis [local militia] and hundreds of local residents have left their houses and taken refuge in the mountains. There are fears of being captured by Taliban militants."
Another provincial leader said foreign fighters were among the 800 Taliban militants who carried out a series of attacks.
Jame Jame, chief of the provincial council, said: "Around 800 militants, including 200 foreigners identified as Arabs, Pakistanis and Chechens, have carried out coordinated attacks on Ajristan district of Ghazni province, burning some 70 houses, occupying villages located around the district center."
According to Afghan officials, the Taliban has recruited hundreds of militants from the neighboring provinces of Kandahar, Helmand, Uruzgan and Zabul over the past month.
Ghazni province has been a soft target for militants as it borders provinces where they have a heavy presence.
At least 31 were killed and 152 injured when the Taliban conducted coordinated attacks on governmental buildings in Ghazni city last month.
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