Top ISIS leader in Afghanistan and Pakistan allegedly killed by US drone strike

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Hafiz Saeed Khan and more than 30 other insurgents were believed to have been killed on Friday in the Nangarhar province, Afghan officials said
Afghan intelligence officials reportedly provided US forces with the information to launch the strike
US military officials confirmed Americans carried out an airstrike in Nangarhar but did not confirm Khan's death
Afghan officials said two other senior Islamic State leaders were also killed in the past week in Nangahar by U.S. airstrikes

By Associated Press and Dailymail.com Reporter

Published: 16:06 EST, 11 July 2015 | Updated: 16:08 EST, 11 July 2015

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The top Islamic State leader in Afghanistan and Pakistan and more than 30 other insurgents have been killed in a US drone strike in eastern Afghanistan, according to Afghan intelligence officials.

Hafiz Saeed Khan, a former Taliban leader who defected to ISIS, was killed in the Nangarhar province on Friday, said Abdul Hassib Sediqi, spokesman for Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security.

Afghan intelligence officials provided US forces with information to launch the strike and Saeed was killed in a gathering in an area where 'they were making plans', Sediqqi told the Washington Post.

Hafiz Saeed Khan, the top Islamic State leader in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and more than 30 other insurgents are believed to have been killed in a US drone strike, according to Afghan intelligence officials

U.S. Army Colonel Brian Tribus confirmed Americans carried out an airstrike in Nangarhar's Achin District and targeted 'individuals threatening the force' - but declined to comment further.

He did not confirm whether Khan died in the attack.

NATO officials declined to immediately comment on the claim, saying they would issue a statement later Saturday.

Another U.S. airstrike in the Nangarhar province on Tuesday killed Gull Zaman, believed to be the second-highest official in the local Islamic State affiliate, and Shahidullah Shahid, thought to be the group's chief spokesman in Afghanistan, Afghan intelligence officials said.

None of the deaths have been confirmed by the Islamic State.

The Afghan government has warned the Islamic State group, rooted in Iraq and Syria, is making inroads into Afghanistan and is active in at least three provinces.

Numerous drone strikes have been reported in Nangarhar over the past two weeks due to a joint US-Afghan military operation, Afghan officials said.

The Taliban, at war with the government for nearly 14 years, have warned the Islamic State group to stay out.

Both groups want Islamic rule but the Taliban do not recognize the Islamic State group's self-declared 'caliphate.'

U.S. Army Colonel Brian Tribus confirmed Americans carried out an airstrike in Nangarhar's Achin District and targeted 'individuals threatening the force' - but did not confirm whether Khan died in the attack