Two Islamic State Commanders Killed in Possible Drone Strike, Officials Say

Local officials in Afghanistan announced this week that two top leaders of the Islamic State were recently killed in Afghanistan, suggesting that the attack was part of a U.S.-led drone strike in the region. 

The U.S. military confirmed that it carried out multiple airstrikes in the Nangahar province of eastern Afghanistan last week, and local media outlets report that two major Islamic State leaders were killed, including Shahidullah Shahid and Gull Zaman.

According to The Washington Post, Zaman served as a commander for the Islamic State, while Shahid served as a former spokesperson for the Pakistani Taliban who helped launch the Islamic State in Afghanistan.

According to Stars and Stripes, NATO spokesman Col. Brian Tribus said that U.S. forces had participated in a "precision strike" to target certain members of the Islamic State, but he did not confirm if the U.S. drone strike was responsible for the deaths of the two Islamic State commanders.

News of the recent drone strikes comes shortly after FBI Director James Comey announced this week that the government agency had successfully thwarted planned terrorist attacks on the United States during the recent Fourth of July holiday.

"I do believe our work disrupted efforts to kill people, likely in connection with July 4," Comey said during a recent press conference in Washington D.C.

"It's actually hard to figure out when they're trying to kill somebody," Comey continued, adding "And you cannot say, 'Well, we've got to do it on the Fourth. Because you know you have people who are motivated to kill people, and they are unreliable in terms of when they're going to act."