KABUL: The caretaker government of Afghanistan on Wednesday downplayed the security threat posed by the hard-liner Islamic State (IS), or Daesh outfit, saying security forces had arrested 600 militants affiliated with the armed group over the past three months.

'The security forces of the Islamic Emirate have destroyed 21 bases of the Daesh group in different provinces, including Kabul, Nangarhar and Herat, and also captured about 600 militants over the past three months,' spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters at a press briefing here.