17 May 2016•Update: 22 May 2016
By Zabihullah Tamanna
KABUL
Commanders of the Al-Qaeda and Daesh extremist groups were killed in two separate U.S. drone strikes in eastern and southern Afghanistan, respectively, the Afghan Defense Ministry and Special Forces said Tuesday.
Mullah Mohammad Ali, a top Al-Qaeda commander, was killed Tuesday in a U.S. drone strike in the southern Zabul province’s Shahjoy district, according to a statement released by Afghan Special Forces.
Ali had been involved in a number of "terrorist" activities, the statement said, going on to assert that his death would have a "positive impact" on regional security.
In a separate statement released by the Afghan Defense Ministry, another U.S. drone strike carried out the same day in the eastern Kunar province’s Watapur district killed a top Daesh commander.
According to the ministry, the strike occurred near the border with Pakistan.
The two militant groups have yet to issue statements on the reported assassinations of their respective commanders.
A number of Daesh commanders have been killed by previous drone strikes and during military offensives carried out by the Afghan security forces in eastern Afghanistan.
Following the abrupt emergence of Daesh in the war-torn country, Afghan security forces stepped up counter-insurgency efforts and largely wiped out the terrorist network.
