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Top ISIS leader killed in Nangarhar
A key commander with the Islamic State militant group has been killed in a military operation in Nangarhar, Afghan security forces say.
According to BBC, Saad Emarati was one of the founders of the IS group’s Afghanistan-Pakistan branch, and led several attacks against the Taliban and the government.
Afghan officials say he was one of about 120 suspected militants killed in an operation in Kot district.
It comes days after a bomb attack in Kabul claimed by IS killed 80 people.
Emarati was formerly a Taliban commander, but switched allegiance to IS following the death of Mullah Omar, the Taliban founder.
Analysts say he was one of the most important leaders of IS in the region, and that his death, if confirmed, would be a serious setback to the group’s ability to operate in eastern Afghanistan.
Afghan officials have released photos following the overnight raid in Kot, showing IS courts and recruitment centers seized by the military.
Afghan special forces commander Gen Basmullah Wazari said the operation had received foreign air support.