A senior Isis (also known as Daesh) leader has been killed in a US drone strike, according to reports by Afghanistan’s intelligence service.
Hafiz Saeed is understood to be Isis’ leader in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was one of more than 30 militants killed in an airstrike in the Nangarhar province yesterday.
Abdul Hassib Sediqi, spokesperson for the National Directorate of Security, told media today that the strike had been carried out by US forces acting on Afghan intelligence information.
There has been no independent verification of reports as yet.
Hafiz Saeed is one of the most sought after terrorists in the world. He is understood to have founded Lashkar-e Taiba, the group which were responsible for a series of bombings in Mumbai in 2008. More than a hundred people were killed in the attacks on India’s financial capital.
In 2012, US officials offered a bounty of $10 million for Hafiz Saeed.
It is understood that the former Pakistan Taliban member defected to Isis in January. He featured in a video, apparently filmed in Pakistan, in which a number of fighters pledged allegiance to Isis.
By Siobhan Fenton
