'ISIL Commander' Who Defected from Taliban Killed by Drone Attack in Afghanistan
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - A militant commander who was believed to have defected to ISIL from the Taliban was among six people killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan, Afghan officials claimed.
The Afghan military reported in January that former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mullah Abdul Rauf swore allegiance with ISIL and was establishing a network of followers, who were in turn recruiting people to join them across the southern Helmand province.
He was killed in he southern Helmand province on Monday when the car he was travelling in was hit by a drone. His brother-in-law is believed to be among the casualties.
Rauf was understood to be a former Taliban commander who was arrested after the fall of the Taliban in the US-led invasion. He has been influential in Afghanistan's jihadi movement for well over a decade, according to the Associated Press.
Afghanistan's main intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), said Rauf was in charge of ISIL across southwestern Afghanistan and died just before midday after a "sucessful operation".
A military document leaked by WikiLeaks had him listed as a Guantanamo Bay who was “associated with several Taliban commanders and leaders in Afghanistan”.
The document said Rauf, who was captured by US forces in 2001, had claimed to be a Taliban foot soldier and bread deliverer and denied having ever been promoted within its ranks. He was deemed to be of medium intelligence value by the US because of his possible knowledge of Taliban leadership and command. Rauf had denied having any links to senior leadership, which the US dismissed as implausible after serving three tours within the Taliban.
