JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- A total of 241 loyalists of the Islamic State (IS) group including men, women and children have surrendered to the government in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, said an army statement released here on Saturday.

"A total of 241 IS members and loyalists -- 71 men, 63 women and 107 children -- have surrendered to local authorities in Achin and Mohman Dara districts over the past three days," Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.  This is the largest number of members affiliated with the IS outfit to lay down arms and surrender to security forces in eastern Afghanistan over the past couple of years, officials said.  The IS group, which is active in Nangarhar and the neighbouring Kunar and Nuristan provinces, was yet to make comment on the report.