On April 5, a U.S. airstrike killed Qari Hikmatullah and his bodyguard in Bal Chiragh district, Faryab province, Afghanistan, according to the NATO website
At the time of his death, Hikmatullah was reportedly the senior commander in Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-KP) and the main facilitator of IS-K fighters into northern Afghanistan.
IS-KP is a branch of the Islamic State terror group, active in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Khorasan group's area of operations also includes other parts of South Asia. IS announced the group's formation in January 2015.
IS-K in Jowzjan province is the main conduit for external support and foreign fighters from Central Asian states into Afghanistan. Hikmatullah was the key leader for those operations.
Hikmatullah, a native Uzbek, had a history of divided loyalties; first as an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader, followed by allegiance to the Taliban, and ultimately IS-K.
IS-K reportedly named Mawlavi Habibul Rahman, another native Uzbek, as Hikmatullah’s successor. Rahman’s succession to a leadership role raises concerns across IS-K followers in remote, isolated areas of Jowzjan. Rahman has had intermittent ties to the Taliban, highlighting the difficulty IS-K is having replacing leaders.
A series of Afghan Special Security Forces and U.S. Special Operations Forces counter-terrorism operations have reportedly depleted IS-K of viable leadership options in Jowzjan.
