WASHINGTON, July 14, 2017 — U.S. forces killed Abu Sayed, the head of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan, in a strike on the group's headquarters in Kunar province, Afghanistan, July 11, Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Dana W. White said today in a statement.
"The raid also killed other ISIS-K members and will significantly disrupt the terror group's plans to expand its presence in Afghanistan," she said.
ISIS leaders chose Abu Sayed to lead the group, which is an affiliate of ISIS, after Afghan and U.S. forces killed the previous ISIS-K leaders - Hafiz Sayed Khan in late July 2016, and Abdul Hasib, in late April this year, White said.
Afghan and U.S. forces launched a counter-ISIS-K offensive in early March to drive fighters from Nangarhar province, which borders Kunar to the south, and send a clear message to ISIS that there is no sanctuary for their fighters in Afghanistan, she said.