WASHINGTON — A senior U.S. official confirms that the top recruiter for the Islamic State group’s affiliate in Afghanistan was killed in a U.S. drone strike on Monday.
The official says Abdul Rauf and seven others were killed when the strike hit their car. It was the first such attack on a leader of the extremist group in Afghanistan. Officials have expressed concerns about the Islamic State group seeking recruits there as U.S. forces withdraw and Afghan forces take control of the country’s security.
The deputy governor of the southern Helmand province had said earlier this week that Rauf was killed, but U.S. officials awaited further evidence. The official who confirmed the death did so on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak on the record.
During the Taliban’s rule, which ended in late 2001, Rauf was a corps commander in the western province of Herat and in Kabul.
