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Af-Pak ISIS Leader Hafiz Saeed Khan Killed in US Drone Strike

The US state department had declared the ISIS leader, Hafiz Saeed Khan, a global terrorist.

Updated
India
1 min read
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The leader of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s branch in Afghanistan and Pakistan was killed in a US drone strike in Afghanistan on 26 July, a US defense official said on Friday on the condition of anonymity.

The Afghan ambassador to Pakistan had said earlier on Friday that a US drone strike had killed Hafiz Saeed Khan, in what would be a blow to efforts by ISIS to expand its control over territory and its jihadist brand into Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The US State Department last year designated Khan a global terrorist, saying he is the leader of ISIS in Khorasan, which includes former members of the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban.

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Khan had previously been a Tehrik-e Taliban commander, but last year pledged loyalty to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

US and Afghan leaders have been concerned about the growth of ISIS in Afghanistan. The militant group was targeted by a US-backed Afghan military offensive last month, in which five US commandos were injured.

The strike took place in the Kot district of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, a US official said.

(With inputs from Reuters and AP)

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