ISIS militants have kidnapped and killed 30 people in Afghanistan’s Ghor province, according to a provincial spokesman.

The group was abducted as they entered the mountains of Ghor to collect wood for winter, Abdul Hai Khatibi, the spokesman for the governor of the province, told CNN.

The kidnapped people were all shot and killed during a failed rescue attempt by security forces. One ISIS commander was killed in the fighting, according to Khatibi.

ISIS presence

While ISIS is identified primarily with its presence in Iraq and Syria, US and coalition officials have long expressed concern about a growing presence in Afghanistan.

In July, US and Afghan Special Operations Forces conducted an airstrike in Afghanistan that targeted and killed ISIS leader Hafiz Sayed Khan.

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