Top ISIS leaders Omair and Abu Samaya killed in North of Afghanistan

Top ISIS leaders Omair and Abu Samaya killed in North of Afghanistan

Two top leaders of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group were killed in a joint operation of the Afghan Special Forces and the US military in North of Afghanistan.

The NATO Special Operations Component Command in a report said, recent Afghan Special Security Forces offensive operations enabled by U.S. airstrikes eliminated 15 ISIS-K fighters in Jowzjan and Sar-e Pul provinces, Afghanistan, Mar. 16, 2018.

The report further adds that a U.S. airstrike killed ISIS-K Khitaba (platoon-sized) commanders Omair and Abu Samaya as they met in Sar-e Pul. Omair and Samaya replaced Khitab Aka, ISIS-K’s lead facilitator of foreign fighters, captured in Jowzjan, Jan. 28. Unable to take root in Afghanistan, ISIS-K relies on external support of fighters and equipment for survival in northern Afghanistan.

Later that night, ASSF conducted a raid on the ISIS-K headquarters in Jowzjan, eliminating 13 terrorists. The ASSF conducted the raid in an area ISIS-K believed to be a safe haven for the reception of their foreign fighters and weapons.

“The capability and capacity of the ASSF will ensure Afghanistan cannot again be used as a safe haven from which trans-regional terrorists can threaten the U.S. and international partners,” said Gen. John Nicholson, NATO Resolute Support commander.

Over the last two months, ASSF and U.S. targeting of ISIS-K resulted in the removal of more than more than 140 ISIS-K fighters, according to the report.

Source: Khaama