Afghan and U.S. officials say a U.S. strike in eastern Afghanistan has killed a senior Islamic State commander.
Shah Hussain Martazawi, deputy spokesman for the Afghan presidency, said on Sunday that the strike in the eastern Nangarhar province killed Abu Sayeed Orakzai, a senior leader in the extremist group.
Lt. Col. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said American forces launched a counterterrorism strike in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday that targeted a “senior leader of a designated terrorist organization.” He did not provide further details.
An IS affiliate that emerged in Afghanistan in 2014 has carried out scores of attacks targeting security forces and the country’s Shiite minority. Even with U.S. and NATO support, Afghan security forces have struggled to combat IS and the more well-established Taliban.
