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14Jul17

ISIS Leader in Afghanistan Is Killed by Drone, Pentagon Says

The leader of the Islamic State's branch in Afghanistan, Abu Sayed, was killed by an American drone strike this week, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The strike, on Tuesday, targeted the militants' headquarters in Kunar Province, Afghanistan.

Other members of the group were also killed in the operation, the Pentagon said in a statement, which asserted that the attack would "significantly disrupt the terror group's plans to expand its presence in Afghanistan."

The Islamic State, however, has proved its resilience by replacing its leaders soon after they are killed.

Mr. Sayed was chosen to lead the group in Afghanistan after his predecessor, Abdul Hasib, was killed in April during a special forces raid in Nangarhar Province, where the militant group has been active. Two United States Army Rangers were killed in the April operation, perhaps by so-called friendly fire, the Pentagon has said.

In Afghanistan, the group goes by the Islamic State in Khorasan, an ancient name for the region that includes portions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It has sought to expand the scope of its operations in Afghanistan, but the location of the latest strike, in Kunar Province, suggests the group may be falling back from its stronghold of neighboring Nangarhar.

The Trump administration is conducting a review to determine its broader strategy to deal with the nearly 16-year-old conflict in Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who had told lawmakers that he expected the review to be completed by mid-July, told reporters on Friday that it was close to completion.

"We're not going to meet some timeline if we are not ready," he said. "But we're pretty close."

As a stopgap, the White House has authorized Mr. Mattis to send nearly 4,000 troops to Afghanistan, though none appear to have been deployed so far.

[Source: By Michael R. Gordon, The New York Times, Washington, 14Jul17]
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