Afghan officials have suggested the Islamic State affiliate had a presence in three of its provinces, including Nangarhar, which borders Pakistan and frequently sees militants cross its borders.
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It said the Daesh Afghanistan chief was killed along with his 30 other comrades when the US predator plane targeted a compound in the Aachin district of Nangarhar province on the night between Friday and Saturday.
Reports: Top IS leader Hafiz Saeed was killed in the United States drone attack.
Analysts and officials say the number of Islamic State supporters in the Afghan-Pakistan region remains small and that the group faces resistance from militants with strong tribal links. “Daesh No 1 in Afghanistan, Hafiz Saeed, was killed in a drone strike in Nangarhar”, a source at National Directorate of Security (NDS) was quoted as saying by Tolo newswire.
The Islamic State has not confirmed any of the deaths. It did not give any further details about the air strike.
NDS said another top ISIS leader was killed in a drone strike on Tuesday, as well as scores of militants. Abu Talut al-Khorasani, who described himself as a ex- Taliban commander who has defected to the Islamic State, claimed in a tweet that Khan “is alive and well” and branded the Afghan intelligence agency’s claims as propaganda.
Sir: Talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have started, indicating a fresh start to the reconciliation process of the war-torn country.
Hafiz Saeed is one of the most sought after terrorists in the world. After developing differences with Maulana Fazlullah, the chief of the Pakistani Taliban, Khan and his close commanders left the mainstream militant group and joined ISIS in October 2014. Many in the Taliban complained the organization had gone soft, before enrolling themselves in IS, which is way more cruel and vicious in its terror tactics, reported the Daily Mail.
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They said, in a statement released on Saturday, that the talks were “a step towards peace and reconciliation” in Afghanistan.
