Washington
\nThe United States on Monday offered a $10-million reward for information leading to the \u201cidentification or location\u201d of the leader of the Afghanistan regional chapter of the Islamic State group.
\nThe reward offered by the US State Department was also for any information that would aid in arresting or convicting those responsible for the \u201cterrorist attack at the Kabul airport\u201d on August 26, which was claimed by the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K).
\nThe attack, which killed more than 100 people including 13 American soldiers, was launched as the United States orchestrated its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and the evacuation of Afghans deemed under threat by the Taliban\u2019s takeover.
\nAccording to Washington, Sanaullah Ghafari \u2014 also known as Shahab al-Muhajir \u2014 was appointed head of IS-K in June 2020 by the Islamic State group.
\nIS-K is the Afghan offshoot of IS, which originated in Iraq and Syria. \u201cGhafari is responsible for approving all ISIS-K operations throughout Afghanistan and arranging funding to conduct operations,\u201d the State Department said in a statement.
\nHe had been blacklisted in November as a foreign terrorist.
\nLittle is known about Ghafari, although his nom de guerre suggests he arrived in the region from the Arab world. He is rumored to have been an Al-Qaeda commander or a former member of the Haqqani network, one of the most powerful and feared factions in the Taliban.
\nIS-K has been responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in the region in recent years, massacring civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan, at mosques, shrines, public squares, and hospitals.
\nThe group has especially targeted Muslims from sects it considers heretical, including Shiites \u2014 much like the original IS group. It was hit hard by both the Taliban and US-led forces and was losing influence but its attacks have ramped up since their rival Islamists took power in August.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Washington The United States on Monday offered a $10-million reward for information leading to the \u201cidentification or location\u201d of the leader of the Afghanistan regional chapter of the Islamic State group. The reward offered by the US State Department was also for any information that would aid in arresting or convicting those responsible for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-243388","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n