The Taliban have killed a key leader of the Islamic State (IS) terror cell. This is reported by several American media on Tuesday, under which The New York Timess. The ringleader, who has not been named, led an operation in August 2021 in which the airport of the Afghan capital Kabul was attacked with suicide bombers. The attack came in the chaotic aftermath of the Taliban’s takeover of power after the Americans withdrew from Afghanistan after 20 years of war. The attacks killed 170 Afghan civilians and 13 American soldiers.
At the beginning of April, the American intelligence services would have learned of the death of the IS terrorist in an operation carried out by the Taliban. It was unclear whether the Taliban had specifically targeted the man or whether his death was the result of frequent fighting between the Taliban and IS fighters. No details about his death have been released.
According to The New York Times Washington said Monday informed the affected relatives of the killed US servicemen in the attack in August 2021. The next of kin were told that the man had been killed in “the past few weeks”.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan again in the summer of 2021. Since then, the economic situation has deteriorated considerably. Previous United Nations estimates indicated that some 20 million Afghans, more than half of the population, are struggling to make ends meet. In addition, the Taliban regime severely restricted women’s rights in public life. For example, women and girls are no longer welcome at universities and schools.
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