Dozens of Daesh militants attacked Pachir Aw Agam district of Nangarhar province on Saturday morning, killing at least four civilians, officials said.

Attaullah Khogyani, the provincial governor's spokesman, confirmed the attack and said that four civilians were killed and 27 were wounded. He said the insurgents also burnt down a number of houses.

However, ground forces and military air support targeted the group and killed at least 54, Khogyani added.

In July President Ashraf Ghani ordered the Afghan security forces to be ready for a "decisive battle" with Daesh in the eastern regions of the war-torn country.

He asked the Afghan security forces to eliminate Daesh in the east in the coming weeks.

Ghani also vowed to make sure sufficient weapons were made available to troops in their campaign against Daesh and other insurgents.