KABUL - The Ministry of Interior (MoI) on Sunday rejected the presence of Islamic State (IS) in 25 provinces of the country and said that the National Security Council (NSC) had already approved strategy to fight the extremist group.

Speaking to reporters the MoI Spokesman Sadique Sadiqui said that Daesh posed huge threat on national and regional level. He said the activities of IS had been traced by the intelligence agencies in Helmand and Nangarhar provinces.

Earlier, report published by the United Nation (UN) showed the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group is making inroads in Afghanistan and recruiting followers in 25 of the country's 34 provinces.

"The number of groups and individuals who are openly declaring either loyalty to or sympathy with IS continues to grow in a number of provinces in Afghanistan," said the report.

The source has said that Is fighter had been fighting Afghan security forces and the Taliban in different areas of Afghanistan.

It said 10 percent of the Taliban fighters had sympathies with the Daesh fighters, adding that 70 percent of the group’s fighters came from Syria and Iraq to Afghanistan.

Afghan security officials did not considered IS a threat, said the report, however, their intelligence agencies kept close eye on its activities.

The report pointed out Rauf Khadem, a former advisor to Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar, had traveled to Iraq last month and since organised his own group in southern Helmand and western Farah provinces. (Pajhwok)