US airstrike kills Daesh leader in Afghanistan

By Esra Kaymak Avci

WASHINGTON (AA) – An American airstrike last month, in operations against Daesh in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, targeted and killed Daesh leader Hafiz Sayed Khan in the Achin district, the Pentagon said Friday.

"Khan was known to directly participate in attacks against U.S. and coalition forces, and the actions of his network terrorized Afghans, especially in Nangarhar," Pentagon spokesman Gordon Trowbridge said in a written press release.

Khan was Daesh’s emir of Khorasan, according to the statement, which said Daesh-Khorasan, or ISIL-K, is the group’s Afghanistan branch operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Trowbridge said Nangarhar has been a "hotbed" for Daesh-Khorasan activity since 2015.

Khan's death is expected to affect the group's recruiting efforts and to disrupt its operations in the region, according to the Pentagon.