The United States is offering up to $10Million for any information leading to the location or identification of Sanaullah Ghafari, the leader of the Afghanistan affiliate of ISIL an organization of ISIS.
The reward offered also covers any information that could lead to the arrest of individuals responsible for last year’s deadly bombing at Kabul airport, which was associated to the ISIL group in Khorasan Province, ISIS-K.
Ghafari also known as Shahab al-Muhajir, was appointed the head of ISKP in June 2020, according to the US State Department, and was responsible for approving all ISKP operations throughout Afghanistan and also for raising funds for the group.
The Islamic State-Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K, is the regional Islamic State affiliate, which was first recognized in 2014 and is named after an old term for the region.
It has previously fought both the Western-backed government that got demolished in August and the Taliban.
The August 2021 attack in the Afghan capital, killed 170 Afghan civilians and 13 US service personnel, came after the US’s chaotic withdrawl from Afghanistan.
Ghafari had been blacklisted by the US in November as “Specially Designated global terrorist.”
Days after the bombing, US carried out a Drone- Attack that the Pentagon initially said targeted suspected ISKP fighters.
The media channels quickly reported that 10 Afghan civilians, including several children, had been killed. US officials later apologised for the bombing, though no US officials of the military have been punished.
Ghafari, is rumoured to have been an al-Qaeda commander or a former member of the Haqqani network, which is one of the most powerful and feared factions in the Taliban.
ISIS-K has been responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in the region in the past few years, massacring civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan, also at mosques, hospitals, shrines and public places.
The group especially targets the Muslims from sections it considers heretical, including Shiites, much like the original ISIS group.
The organization was hit hard by both the Taliban and US-led forces and had lost influence, but its attacks have ramped up since their rival Islamists took power in August.
The bombing occurred on 26th August as U.S. troops were trying to help both Americans and Afghans flee in the chaotic aftermath of the Taliban’s takeover, and augment America’s sense of defeat after 20 years of war.
The attack also left President Joe Biden’s administration to deal with the answers and accusations that, the State Department could have evacuated Americans sooner instead of putting U.S. troops at risk.
