The US forces have killed the head of Islamic State's Afghanistan branch in a strike on the terror group's headquarters in Kunar Province, the Pentagon has said.
The killing of Abu Sayed, the emir of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria -- Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), marked the third time within a year that the terror group's Afghanistan branch has lost its leader.
"US 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,on July 11," Pentagon Spokesman Dana White has said.
The raid also killed other ISIS-K members and will significantly disrupt the terror group's plans to expand its presence in Afghanistan, she said.
ISIS leaders chose Abu Sayed to lead the group after Afghan and US forces killed the previous ISIS-K leaders -- Hafiz Sayed Khan in late July 2016, and Abdul Hasib, in late April of this year.
"Afghan and US forces launched a counter-ISIS-K offensive in early March, 2017, to drive fighters from Nangarhar and send a clear message to ISIS that there is no sanctuary for their fighters in Afghanistan," White said.
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