The top USA commander in Afghanistan says five American soldiers have been wounded in clashes with Islamic State fighters.
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Afghan Special Forces Commander General Basmullah Wazari said the operation had received foreign air support.
The other two wounded have been returned to duty in Afghanistan, he said.
“Some of our servicemembers have been wounded in this operation, a total of five”, Nicholson stated. adding that that the USA special operators sustained injuries from small arms fire and shrapnel. Since that time the territory controlled by the group has shrunk from about 10 districts in the southern part of Nangarhar province to parts of three or four districts, Nicholson said.
Nicholson said the casualties happened during a counterterrorism operation in which Afghan forces have recaptured ground previously held by the Islamic State, following US airstrikes.
“They are in good spirits and have talked to their families”, Nicholson told reporters at the Pentagon.
Analysts say he was one of the most important leaders of IS in the region, and that his death, if confirmed, would be a serious setback to the group’s ability to operate in Eastern Afghanistan.
It was the worst attack in Kabul since the Taliban’s insurgency began in 2001.
Until recently, Afghan and US officials have insisted that ISIS loyalists were disaffected Taliban tired that their own fight had failed to make headway, after 15 years, in its goal of overthrowing the Kabul government.
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In 2015, the Afghan forces took 20,000 total casualties, which itself is a high figure for a young army, Nicholson noted. Gen. Charles Cleveland, said that ISIS operatives in Afghanistan numbered between 1,000 and 3,000 loyalists – though probably closer to 1,500.
