The U.S. is planning to liberate districts of Afghanistan from ISIS militants in 2017, AFP  reported quoting a spokesperson for US Forces-Afghanistan, Captain Bill Salvin.

“We have a very good chance of destroying them in 2017, making it very clear that when the ISIS fighters are destroyed elsewhere around the globe that this is not the place for you to come to plot your attacks,” Salvin said.

According to him, the local IS presence peaked at between 2,500 to 3,000 but that defections and recent battlefield losses had reduced their number to a maximum of 800.

America has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan.