The Taliban government in Afghanistan said its security forces killed two key Islamic State commanders during a counter-terrorism raid in capital Kabul a few days ago.
One of the slain terrorists was Qari Fateh, touted as the intelligence chief and a former minister of war of the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP), said Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. The ISKP is an Afghan affiliate of Islamic State and a key Taliban adversary.
Mujahid said Qari Fateh was reportedly the main tactician for the ISKP, and was responsible for planning several attacks, including those against Russian, Pakistani, and Chinese diplomatic missions in Kabul.
In the statement, Mujahid also confirmed the killing of Ejaz Ahmad Ahangar, the so-called first Emir of Islamic State Hind Province (ISHP) and a senior leader of the ISKP in southern Afghanistan, along with two affiliates.
Also known as Abu Usman Al-Kashmiri, Ahangar was designated as a terrorist by the Indian government in January this year. Born in Srinagar, he was wanted in Jammu and Kashmir for over two decades for alleged involvement in terror-related activities.
Afghan intelligence had identified Ahangar as the mastermind of the suicide bombing in March 2020 which claimed the life of a security guard and 24 worshippers at the Gurdwara Kart-e Parwan in Kabul. He reportedly had links to the Al-Qaeda and other global terror outfits.