Afghan Special Security Forces and American forces in Nangarhar province killed the leader of ISIS Khorasan in Afghanistan in a raid in late April, according to the Pentagon.
The raid took place on April 27, killing Sheikh Abdul Hasib, the emir of ISIS-K, an affiliate of ISIS, in Afghanistan. The raid also resulted in the deaths of other leading ISIS-K members and 35 ISIS-K fighters, the Pentagon said in a statement on Sunday.
“This successful joint operation is another important step in our relentless campaign to defeat ISIS-K in 2017,” said General John Nicholson, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. “This is the second ISIS-K emir we have killed in nine months, along with dozens of their leaders and hundreds of their fighters. For more than two years, ISIS-K has waged a barbaric campaign of death, torture and violence against the Afghan people, especially those in southern Nangarhar.”
Abdul Hasib was the architect of an early March attack on Kabul National Military Hospital, resulting in more than 100 Afghan casualties. According to the Pentagon, he also ordered local elders to be beheaded in front of their families and the kidnapping of women and girls to marry them to ISIS-K militants.
According to a CNN report, Army ranger and 40 Afghan commandos were dropped within a mile of the area hit by the MOAB, colloquially known as the Mother Of All Bombs, on April 13. The allied troops were surrounded by heavy fire and AC-130 and F-16 planes, along with drones and Apache helicopters, were called in to support them.
The attack resulted in the deaths of two Americans, who might have been killed by friendly fighter.
Abdul Hasib was the target of the attack but he was not confirmed dead until Sunday.
