Afghan Ambassador to Islamabad Dr Omar Zakhilwal on Friday confirmed the regional chief of Islamic State militant group Hafiz Saeed Khan has been killed in a joint US-Afghan operation.
“Yes, I can confirm that Hafiz Saeed Khan has been killed,” Ambassador Zakhilwal told Peshawar-based Pashto Mashriq television during an interview. The interview will be aired on August 14.
The Afghan envoy stated the Da’ish leader was killed in a US drone strike on July 26, 2016 with the ground support of Afghan forces. Further, a top Afghan security official in Kabul also confirmed the killing of the regional chief.
“At least 23 Dai’sh commanders, including the commander of Khurasan faction Hafiz Saeed, were killed in foreign troops’ drone strikes and their bodies are still there,” commander of the 201 Selab Corps Major General Mohammad Zaman Wazir said, according to Tolo TV.
However, the United States and Da’ish have failed to comment on the latest claims by Afghan officials. Afghan security officials had previously claimed that Khan was killed in a US drone strike on July 11, 2015, which later proved to be false.