© AFP / Wakil Koshar
At the end of July 2018, the Taliban massed its forces and targeted a large cadre of Islamic State fighters that were based in Darzab district in Jawzjan. The Taliban operation was decisive; the Islamic State was routed. More than 150 of the 600 Islamic State operatives based in the district were killed and an estimated 100 more were wounded. Another 134 were captured by the Taliban. [See FDD's Long War Journal report, Taliban says Islamic State has been 'completely defeated' in Jawzjan.]
Following the drubbing by the Taliban, more than 250 Islamic State fighters and a handful of leaders, including the group's military commander for the north, surrendered to the Afghan government to prevent being captured by the Taliban.
At the time, both the US military and Afghan government spun the surrender as a successful operation. General John Nicholson, then the commander of US Forces - Afghanistan and Resolute Support, touted the Taliban's dominance over the Islamic State Khorasan Province as evidence that the security situation Afghanistan is improving.
Comment: The new US commander in Afghanistan has at least made a good start: New US commander in Afghanistan finally admits Taliban cannot be defeated after 17 years of useless war. With any luck, Trump will fulfil the spirit of his statements critical of the war - repeated in his campaign and recently - and get American troops out of Afghanistan. It has cost too much, killed too many, all with no strategic vision or substantive success.