April 29, 2017 - 18:31 AMT
Islamic State kills top Afghan Taliban official in Pakistan

Islamic State killed a senior Afghan Taliban official in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, the Afghan militants said on Saturday, April 29 in a rare clash between the rival Islamist groups inside Pakistan, according to Reuters.

Afghan Taliban sources told Reuters Maulvi Daud was killed on the outskirts of Peshawar with two other men on Thursday. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed Daud's death.

The Islamic State on Friday claimed responsibility for "assassination of a Taliban leader" a day earlier, without naming him, through the group's affiliated news agency AMAQ.

The Islamic State, which at one point controlled huge chunks of territory across Syria and Iraq, has made some inroads into Afghanistan but the group has met tough resistance from the Taliban as well as U.S. and Afghan special forces.

Afghan Taliban sources said Daud was based in Afghanistan's Logar province but would frequently visit Pakistan.

Islamic State does not control any territory inside Pakistan but the group has claimed responsibility for several large-scale bomb attacks.

Pakistani officials say the Islamic State does not have a presence inside the country.

Photo: AFP