Hafiz Saeed Khan, the Islamic State terror group chief of Afghanistan and Pakistan, was killed in a United States drone strike on July 26, said the United States. The Pentagon confirmed the news and said the militant leader was eliminated in a joint operation by the US and Afghan special forces in Nangarhar's Achin district, reported Reuters.

Afghan ambassador Omar Zakhilwal said, "I can confirm that ISIS Khorasan [Afghanistan and Pakistan] leader Hafiz Saeed Khan along with his senior commanders and fighters died in a US drone strike on July 26 in Kot district of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province."

Pentagon spokesperson Gordon Trowbridge said, "Khan was known to directly participate in attacks against US and coalition forces, and the actions of his network terrorized Afghans, especially in Nangarhar." This is not the first time that the United States has claimed that the leader is dead. In July 2015, US officials claimed that Khan was killed in an airstrike. However, the terror group had then negated the news, according to BBC.