The deputy head of the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in Afghanistan was killed after a drone strike targeted his car, according to reports from the region.
Mullah Abdul Rauf, an Afghan militant commander who is believed to have joined up with IS after severing ties with the Taliban, was reportedly killed in northern Helmand province.
"#IS leader in #Afghanistan & former #Taliban governor, Mullah Abdul Rauf, reportedly killed in drone strike. pic.twitter.com/SLsi1Bt25l"
— Maqsood Asi (@MaqsoodAsi) February 9, 2015
His car, transporting up to six people, was carrying explosives and ammunition when it was targeted, the BBC reports.
Police chief Nabi Jan Mullahkhel told Reuters the other casualties included Rauf's brother-in-law and four Pakistanis.
Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) issued a statement confirming Rauf’s death.
In January, Afghan officials told the Associated Press that Rauf
had actively begun recruiting for IS in the region.
“People are saying that he has raised black flags and even has tried to bring down white Taliban flags in some areas,” the tribal leader, Saifullah Sanginwal, told AP at the time.
Rauf has also previously been held at the US-run detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to documents released by WikiLeaks. He was later handed over to Afghan authorities in 2007.