The head of Islamic State in Afghanistan has been killed – according to an Afghan government statement. Abdul Hasib was killed in a raid in the early hours of last Thursday in Nangarhar province, in which 50 U.S special forces and 40 Afghan commandos raided his compound. Ashraf Ghani, president of Afghanistan confirmed Hasib’s death in a statement following speculation the ISIS boss had been taken out in the operation. Hasib was appointed last year following the death of his predecessor Hafiz Saeed in a U.S drone strike.

He is believed to have ordered a series of high profile attacks including one in March on the main military hospital in Kabul by a group of militants disguised as doctors. A joint US-Afghan army statement released after the operation said troops had been involved in an ‘intense’ three-hour firefight. The statement said: “Within a few minutes of landing, our combined force came under intense fire from multiple directions and well-prepared fighting positions. READ MORE


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