Aziz Yuldash, the leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), was killed in an operation by Afghan forces in the northern province of Faryab, Ministry of Defense statement said on Thursday.

The operation was launched in Sayed Gul village in Ghormach district in the province, and Yuldash’s son, Hekmat, was wounded in the operation, read the statement.

“Yuldash had been involved in terrorist attacks and killing of Afghans in the northern provinces,” the statement said.

The Ministry of Defense did not provide further details.

This comes after two days ago (Tuesday) Mohammad Hanif Alias Abdullah leader of Al-Qaeda for the Indian Sub-continent was killed by the National Directorate of Security (NDS) Special Forces in an operation in the Bakwa district of Farah province.

Hanif, a Pakistani national and a very close aide to Asim Omer, was given shelter and protection by the Taliban, NDS statement said.

He also was deputy so-called Amir for AQIS for a period, the statement noted.

The statement further indicated that Hanif also had close ties with the Taliban and assisted and trained the Taliban members in explosives, car bombs, and improvised explosive devices.

The Taliban, however, did not comment yet.

Back in July this year the United Nations Security Council stated in a report that beside AlQaeda a number of other terrorist groups are also active in Afghanistan, most operating under the umbrella of the Taliban but some aligned with Daesh.

The death of Abdukholik, the head of the Uzbek fighters in Daesh, in January 2020, contributed to the departure of some of the Uzbek component of the group, in particular family members.

One group of Central Asian fighters went to Faryab province, where they joined the 1,500-strong Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) group. Another reportedly traveled to Kabul province, planning to leave Afghanistan via Iran for Turkey to join the local pro-Daesh Central Asian diaspora.

The Taliban has rejected their ties with al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups.