KABUL – *The US forces conducted an airstrike killing an al-Qaeda in theIndian Subcontinent (AQIS) leader, Hazrat Abbas, and his bodyguard ineastern Nangarhar province on April 23, the US forces confirmed on Tuesday.*

The operation was launched in Sherzad district of the province and Abbas, asenior AQIS and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander, controlledfighting forces in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, the US forces said.

Abbas’ forces were responsible for numerous attacks and kidnappings on bothsides of the border.

Abbas’ integration and command of multiple organizations highlights therelationships between terrorist organizations in Afghanistan and thesurrounding region, specifically how regional terrorist groups shelter andfacilitate global threat networks.