On 23 July 2016 , following the Kabul bombing , Afghan forces and U.S. special forces backed by U.S. airstrikes began an operation to retake parts on Nangarhar province from ISIL-KP militants . Over 24 and 25 July whilst clearing areas of southern Nangarhar with Afghan special operations troops , 5 U.S. special forces troops were wounded by small arms fire or shrapnel , making it the first reported instance of U.S. troops being wounded in fighting ISIL in Afghanistan . On 26 July , one of the most important leaders of ISIL in the region and one of the founders of the ISIL-KP , Saad Emarati , was killed along with 120 other suspected militants in Kot District , Afghan troops pushed into Kot District , meeting little resistance due to heavy air and artillery bombardment that forced ISIL fighters to flee into nearby mountain areas , Afghan forces found an already destroyed training camp . Overall , the operation reclaimed large and significant parts of eastern Afghanistan , forcing ISIL militants back into the mountains of southern Nangarhar with hundreds of IS militants killed ; the estimated size of the ISIL-KP in January 2016 was around 3,000 , but by July 2016 the number has been reduced to closely 1,000 to 1,500 , with 70 % of its fighters come from the TTP . In the operation , Afghan forces , backed by the US , killed an estimated 300 ISIS fighters
Kabul bombing
July 2016 Kabul bombing
International military intervention against ISIL