US Airstrike Takes Out ISIS Radio Station, 21 ISIS Members

An ISIS radio station in the Mamand mountains in Afghanistan was taken out in a US airstrike, according to local Afghan authorities, Voice of America reports.
US Airstrike Takes Out ISIS Radio Station, 21 ISIS Members
Smoke billows from an ISIS terrorist group position following an air strike by Syrian pro-government forces in Aleppo's eastern countryside on Jan. 24, 2016. (George Ourfalian/AFP/Getty Images)
Jonathan Zhou
2/2/2016
Updated:
2/3/2016

An ISIS radio station in the Mamand mountains in Afghanistan was destroyed in a U.S. airstrike, according to local Afghan authorities, Voice of America reports.

The radio program, called “Voice of Caliphate,” broadcast from a mobile transmitter a variety of ISIS propaganda, including interviews with ISIS members, threats against government employees, criticism of the Afghan government, and recruitment advertisements. 

A U.S. military official confirmed the airstrike took out the radio station. ISIS has denied the success of the strike, rejecting on Twitter “the reports of the puppet regime of Kabul that the radio has been destroyed.”

The strike killed 21 ISIS members, including 5 operators of the radio station, said a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province.

Radio is a powerful medium in Afghanistan, where most people do not have televisions and only 10 percent of the population has access to the Internet. Nearly everyone has access to radio, with around 175 stations operating across the country.

The U.S. State Department recently added the IS Afghan affiliate to its list of foreign terrorist organizations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.