KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official says drone strikes have killed up to 60 insurgents, many of them allied to the Islamic State group, in recent days.

Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial governor, said Wednesday that the strikes took place in Nangarhar and neighboring Paktika provinces in the country's east.

The U.S. military in Kabul said in a statement that "kinetic strikes" against "individuals threatening force" took place Tuesday in the provinces, which border Pakistan.

U.S. drone strikes regularly target insurgents along the rugged Afghan-Pakistan border.

The Islamic State group, which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq, has worked in recent months to establish a small but growing presence in Afghanistan. Nangarhar has been a focal point for the group.