U.S. Pilots Go Over Obamas Head With Airstrikes Killing ISIS Leader This week, a Pentagon spokesman confirmed that a U.S. airstrike last month killed Hafiz Sayed Khan, the head of the Islamic States branch in Afghanistan. Khan was killed in the end of July when U.S. and Afghan Special Forces conducted operations against the terror group in southern Nangarhar province, Deputy Secretary Gordon Trowbridge said in his statement. Khans death comes as part of a major effort and partnership to take down the Islamic State, which has become a growing threat in Afghanistan this year. Khan is a former Pakistani Taliban member, and became head of the regions Islamic State branch in 2015, pledging allegiance to the groups leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Trowbridge confirmed Khan was known to directly participate in attacks against the U.S. and coalition forces. His network terrorized Afghans. The Afghan branch uses Nangarhar to train, equip, disseminate and control fighter pipelines, providing IS commanders with a continuous supply of fighters Khans death affects recruiting efforts and will disrupt their operations in Afghanistan and the region, Trowbridge claimed. Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal also commented on the attacks, confirming the strike also killed several senior Islamic State commanders and fighters. This is the second time in two years that Khan was believed to be killed by a drone. A claim surfaced last year from Afghan intelligence agents, but the report of his death was never confirmed. Additionally, this is the second reported death of a high-profile extremist in the region in four months. Mullah Akhtar Mansour, the Afghan Taliban leader, was killed in May. 