The death of Hafiz Saeed Khan on July 26 is a blow to efforts by Islamic State – also known as ISIS or Daesh – to expand from its heartlands in Syria and Iraq into Afghanistan and Pakistan, already crowded with jihadist movements including the Taliban and al-Qaeda. It was the USA military’s second killing of an anti-American Islamist militant leader in the region in the past three months.
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In a statement, deputy press secretary Gordon Trowbridge said: “Khan was known to directly participate in attacks against US and coalition forces, and the actions of his network terrorized Afghans, especially in Nangarhar [province]”.
That operation was considered the most significant U.S. raid inside Pakistan since al-Qaeda’s leader, Osama bin Laden, was killed in 2011.
It was also the second reported death of a high-profile extremist in the region in four months.
“Khan was known to directly participate in attacks against USA and coalition forces, and the actions of his network terrorized Afghans, especially in Nangarhar”, Pentagon spokesman Gordon Trowbridge said in a written press release.
The number of fighters belonging to the group and the amount of territory held by the group has been reduced by recent Afghan military operations supported by USA airstrikes.
The Islamic State is believed to be responsible for an attack in Kabul on a rally of Shia Muslims that killed 80 last month.
The Pentagon’s latest estimate is that there are now 1,000 to 1,500 ISIS fighters in eastern Afghanistan, almost half the number estimated earlier this year.
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Mr Trowbridge says Khan’s death will “disrupt” IS operations in Afghanistan.
