US strike kills IS leader in Afghanistan

Abu Sayeed Orakzai, a senior leader with the Islamic State, has been killed by a US strike in eastern Afghanistan.

U.S. Marine Corps in Afganistan

A file photo of US Marine Corps in Afghanistan Source: AAP

Afghan and US officials say a US strike in eastern Afghanistan has killed a senior Islamic State commander.

Shah Hussain Martazawi, deputy spokesman for the Afghan presidency, said 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 US forces in Afghanistan, said American forces launched a counterterrorism strike in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday that targeted a "senior leader of a designated terrorist organisation".

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 US and NATO support, Afghan security forces have struggled to combat IS and the more well-established Taliban.


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By Yu Xia
Source: AAP

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