US conducts drone strike in eastern Afghanistan

Strike conducted against individuals threatening the force, US Army Colonel Michael Lawhorn said

KABUL: A US drone attacked a target in eastern Afghanistan at the weekend, a US military spokesperson in Kabul said, without giving further details.

"US forces conducted a strike in Bati Kot District, Nangarhar Province, December 19 against individuals threatening the force," US Army Colonel Michael Lawhorn said.



Islamic State militants have established a strong presence in Nangarhar, where they have been battling the Taliban for leadership of the insurgency.

Earlier last month, an American drone strike on Wednesday killed a senior commander of the Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan, near the border with the North Waziristan region of Pakistan, according to Pakistani intelligence officials in the tribal belt.

The commander, Khan Sayed, also known as Sajna, led a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban.



The drone strike occurred in the Damma region in Khost Province, near Shahadianu Patala, a Pakistani town in North Waziristan, the Pakistani intelligence officials said. They said the strike had killed 12 other militants and wounded 20.