KABUL: At least 21 militants were killed in a series of air and ground operations in Afghanistan, officials said on Tuesday. According to the Afghan Ministry of Defence (MoD), the operations were conducted in Pacher Agam district. Earlier in the week, the provincial police commandment said that a clearance operation was underway to eliminate the Islamic State (IS) militants’ loyalists in the area. He added that at least 30 militants of the group were killed in the operations – including the shadow judge of the terror group. However, the MoD’s statement on Monday said that at least 44 militants of the group were killed along with the shadow judge. The clearance operations were launched amid concerns that the loyalists of the militant group are attempting to move towards the Tora Bora mountainous region in a bid to fortify their presence in the region. A senior Afghan parliamentarian Zahir Qadir has earlier revealed that the loyalists of the terror group were making serious efforts to establish the Khurasan Caliphate and also alleged that they had seized several strategic points in Pacher Agam – which is close to Tora Bora.