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Pentagon Says Leader Of Afghan IS Branch Killed In Raid


Hafiz Saeed Khan, the leader of Islamic State's branch in Afghanistan and Pakistan was killed in a U.S. drone strike on July 2016
Hafiz Saeed Khan, the leader of Islamic State's branch in Afghanistan and Pakistan was killed in a U.S. drone strike on July 2016

U.S. forces have killed the leader of the Islamic State group's Afghanistan branch in a raid in the northeastern province of Kunar, the Pentagon said on July 14.

"U.S. forces killed Abu Sayed, the emir of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria -- Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) -- in a strike on the group's headquarters in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, July 11," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement, using an alternative name for the group.

"The raid also killed other ISIS-K members and will significantly disrupt the terror group's plans to expand its presence in Afghanistan," the statement said.

IS leaders chose Abu Sayed to lead the group after Afghan and U.S. forces killed the previous ISIS-K leaders -- Hafiz Sayed Khan in late July last year and Abdul Hasib in late April.

"Afghan and U.S. forces launched a counter-ISIS-K offensive in early March 2017 to drive fighters from Nangarhar [Province] and send a clear message to ISIS that there is no sanctuary for their fighters in Afghanistan," the statement said.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP

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