A missile-firing drone has reportedly killed one of the leaders of Islamic State militant group in Afghanistan. The operation is said to have taken
A missile-firing drone has reportedly killed one of the leaders of Islamic State militant group in Afghanistan.
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The operation is said to have taken place in the violence riddled Helmand province.
According to Afghan officials, the senior militant targeted was former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mullah Abdul Rauf, a former Taliban veteran.
Helmand’s police chief, Nabi Jan Mullahkhel said Rauf was travelling in a car when the drone attacked. At least five other people were killed including his brother-in-law and four Pakistanis.
Rauf is said to have been influential in Afghanistan’s jihadi movement for well over a decade. Media reports last month said he had begun recruiting for ISIL, as part of a push by the group to gain traction beyond its stronghold in Iraq and Syria.
Although there is little evidence of operational ties between ISIL and the Taliban, a number of militants have pledged allegiance to ISIL, apparently drawn by its successes in the Middle East.