Senior Daesh commander killed in operation

A leading commander of Islamic State (IS) militant group has been killed following a joint operation in Afghanistan, the country's Interior Ministry said on Friday.

"Qari Moneb, a prominent commander of Daesh (Arabic acronym for IS), has been killed during an anti-terrorism joint operation carried out by Afghan National Security and Defense Forces and (NATO-led) Resolute Support troops," the ministry said in a statement.

However, the statement did not provide details about the identity of the targeted militant and the raid, saying the operation launched on Feb. 1 was authorized by Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani.

The killed militant was responsible for atrocities against local residents in Achin district of eastern Nangarhar province, and was involved in organizing several bombings, including suicide bombings against a mosque and a demonstration in capital Kabul last year, the statement noted.

The mountainous Nangarhar province, bordering Pakistan, is a known IS militants' stronghold.

The province with Jalalabad city as its capital, 120 km east of Kabul, has been the scene of heavy clashes between security forces and IS militants since the emergence of IS in early 2015.

The militant group has yet to make comments.

source: Xinhua