The DAESH leader in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Hafiz Saeed Khan, was killed last month in an airstrike in Nangarhar province, the Pentagon confirmed on Friday.
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General John Nicholson said the offensive in the eastern province of Nangarhar was part of USA operations to degrade the capabilities of Islamic State wherever it raised its head, whether in Iraq and Syria or in Afghanistan.
Saeed Khan, a former senior leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was the chief IS leader in Afghanistan after he pledged allegiance to S in late 2014.
Khan had previously been a Tehrik-e Taliban commander, but a year ago pledged loyalty to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
On his second visit to India, General John Nicholson said India had been making “enormously valuable” contribution in strengthening Afghan security forces and the USA favoured increased military support.
While agreeing that Pakistan has raised concerns about India’s growing role in Afghanistan, the top commander overseeing American operations in the war-struck country has welcomed New Delhi’s participation in strengthening local forces.
It would also mark the second US killing of a prominent militant in the region within months.
Khan’s death affects ISIL-Khorasan recruiting efforts and will disrupt its operations in Afghanistan and the region, he said.
On Tuesday, another USA military official said American soldiers helping Afghan troops fight Islamic State in Nangarhar were forced to abandon equipment and weapons when their position came under fire.
US Commander said that India has already provided four Mi-25 helicopters to Afghanistan. Details of the strike were not immediately available, but a U.S. official told the BBC that Saeed was killed in a July 26 drone strike in the Kot district of Nangarhar.
But unnamed USA defence officials told Reuters and AFP the IS leader had indeed been killed.
The IS group has also claimed responsibility for a July 23 attack in Kabul that killed dozens of people and left hundreds maimed.
The report quoted Afghan General Mohammad Waziri as saying, “they (Islamic State) fought deadly battles with the Taliban before, but over the past two months, there has been no fighting among them”.
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Compared to the limited success against the Taliban, he said the IS’s faction in Afghanistan has suffered major setbacks in recent times.
