Leader of the 'Islamic State' Group in Afghanistan Killed

U.S. and Afghan officials have confirmed that Abdul Hasib, the leader of the group known as 'Islamic State' in Afghanistan, has been killed during a joint operation by the soldiers of both countries. Abdul Hasib took command of this extremist group last year after the death of Hafiz Saeed, the former leader of ISIS in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Hafiz Saeed was killed in a U.S. drone strike last summer in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. The new leader of ISIS was also targeted last month in the same province by special forces from Afghanistan and the United States. A joint statement from the U.S. and Afghan armed forces stated that 50 U.S. special forces and 40 Afghan commandos attacked the location where Abdul Hasib was present. The statement mentioned, 'Minutes after landing, the joint forces faced heavy fire from well-prepared positions from multiple directions... However, our forces managed to surround the enemy and eliminate several senior ISIS members and up to 35 fighters from this group.' Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has also confirmed Abdul Hasib's death. U.S. forces have recently been engaged in battles with members of the group known as the Islamic State in the Nangarhar region. Nangarhar province has become a major center for ISIS presence and its operations against government forces. In the previous April, the United States used the largest non-nuclear bomb in the world to bomb areas under the control of the 'Islamic State' in this province, resulting in over 90 deaths, which the U.S. claims was in support of Afghanistan's national security forces.