VOA News
August 12, 2016

The U.S. Department of Defense says an airstrike has killed prominent Islamic State leader Hafiz Sayed Khan in Afghanistan.

The Pentagon announced Friday that the strike was made July 26 in Achin district of Nangarhar province and resulted in Khan’s death.

In a statement, Deputy Press Secretary Gordon Trowbridge said, “Khan was known to directly participate in attacks against U.S. and coalition forces, and the actions of his network terrorized Afghans, especially in Nangarhar.”The Pentagon says Islamic State uses Nangarhar province to train, equip, disseminate and control fighter pipelines, providing the militants with a continuous supply of fighters.

Trowbridge said Khan’s death will disrupt Islamic State operations in Afghanistan and the region.

Afghanistan’s intelligence agency mistakenly reported in July 2015 that Khan had been killed in a drone strike. Afghan sources said 30 other members of the group also died in the drone strike. Reports of Khan’s death at that time turned out to be untrue.

The July 11, 2015, attack came just months after another strike in Afghanistan killed a man believed to be the No. 2 Islamic State official in Afghanistan at that time.