Islamic State militants execute seven prisoners in southern Afghanistan

QALAT, Afghanistan, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Police on Sunday said militants with an Islamic State affiliate executed at least seven prisoners in southern Afghanistan's Zabul province.

Xinhua news agency quoted provincial police chief Mir Wais Noorzai as saying the militants abducted the civilians from Ghazni province last month before beheading them in Zabul's Arghandab district Saturday night.

Militant cells in Pakistan and Afghanistan, traditionally aligned with the Taliban, have since October 2014 pledged allegiance to IS, a terrorist group holding territory in Iraq and Syria.

The first to be formally announced by IS was the Khorasan Province, which formed in January after Taliban leaders from both countries pledged allegiance to IS under the local leadership of Hafiz Said Khan, a former Pakistani Taliban commander.

IS militants have since captured territories from the Taliban in eastern parts of the country, killing and abducting hundreds of people. Voice of America quoted locals as saying the Taliban seemed "almost tame" in comparison.

Two months ago, the militants reportedly executed 10 civilians in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province by placing them over an explosive device before detonating it.

In late September, at least 60 of the militants were killed and two officers injured when hundreds of IS fighters attacked police checkpoints in Nangarhar province. Local officials said the militants had been taking prisoners in the area, some of whom were tortured and beheaded.

The fighting coincided with clashes in the area between IS and Taliban militants, which were also reported in the Zabul and western Farah provinces.