PHOTO: AFP/FILE
A commander of the Khorasan chapter of the Middle Eastern ultra-extremist group Islamic State, also known by its Arabic acronym Da’ish, was killed in a US drone strike in eastern Afghanistan, the Afghan defence ministry announced on Sunday.
In a statement, the ministry said the group’s position in Achin district of Nangarhar was bombed on Saturday, killing the commander and five others, Afghan news outlet Khaama reported.
“A coalition Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) targeted militants of Da’ish in Nargusi village of Achin district yesterday. As a result, Maiwand, a commander of Da’ish and five of his men were killed,” states the press release. There have been 34 drone strikes in Afghanistan since the turn of the year, killing around 147 people.
The group had claimed a gun and bomb attack on Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on January 13 that had left seven people dead. All Pakistani staff at the consulate remained safe with only one worker suffering minor injuries from broken glass.
An Afghan official recently said that the operation launched by Pakistani forces in the tribal areas, Operation Zarb-i-Azb, had driven militants into Afghanistan. These militants had readily joined groups such as Da’ish.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 25th, 2016.
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