New York, NY, United States

A senior media member of Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), the Afghanistan branch of the Middle East-nased Islamist organisation, has been killed, the US military said.

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The Hill reported that a June 3 air strike in Achin, Nangarhar province, killed Jawad Khan, the senior director of ISIS-K media production, and destroyed a major media production hub for the group. 

This comes close on the heels of Russia claiming to have killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a May 28 air strike.

The US military statement said Khan's killing was an important breakthrough as the Islamic State would be "deprived" of an "experienced media production director and skilled propagandist".

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Commander General John Nicholson stated that the death "will disrupt the ISIS-K network, degrade their recruitment process and hinder their attempts to conduct international operations.

There is no safe haven for ISIS-K in Afghanistan. With our Afghan partners we will continue to aggressively target IS-K and defeat them."

The statement also confirmed that there were no civilian casualties associated with the strike.

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IS has been fighting to get a foothold in Afghanistan. 

The US estimates that there are 600 to 3,000 IS fighters in Afghanistan, with most of them operating in Nangarhar province.

Although the now-dormant Al Qaeda has no direct links with Islamic State, it is believed that IS' branch in Afghanistan was primarily launched by disgruntled Al Qaeda members. 

Islamic State-Khorasan recently chased the Taliban away from Tora Bora, a one-time Osama bin Laden hideout.