Islamic State South Asia leader arrested in Afghanistan
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The Taliban are the main militant group in Afghanistan but IS has been active in some areas and has carried out several bomb attacks in Kabul.
The leader of the Islamic State group in South Asia and the Far East has been arrested along with two other senior leaders of the militant group in Kabul.
According to Afghanistan's intelligence service, Zia ul-Haq, also known as Sheikh Omar Khorasani, was arrested along with his spokesman Saheeb and chief of intelligence Abu Ali.
The operation was conducted after a tip-off by four recently arrested senior IS members, and based on security and intelligence inputs, a statement by the service said.
The agency "will continue its comprehensive and targeted operations to hunt down senior leaders of regional terrorist groups and destroy the joint hubs of these terrorist networks", the statement said, quoted by Reuters.
IS has carried out several deadly bombings in recent years, targeting Afghanistan's Shia and other minorities and killing scores of people.
The arrests come as violence continues throughout the country despite the signing of a troop withdrawal agreement between the US and the Taliban in February.