Nato strike kills 'IS' deputy leader in Afghanistan' Mullah Abdul Rauf

London: A Nato drone strike in Afghanistan has reportedly killed a former Taliban commander who had recently pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS), officials said.

The police chief of Helmand and the Afghan Intelligence Agency said that Mullah Abdul Rauf, who had spent six years in Guantanamo Bay after being captured by the U.S. forces in 2001 and had sworn allegiance to the IS after falling out with Taliban leader Mullah Omar, was among those killed in the strike, reported the BBC.

Rauf had swapped the white flags of the Taliban for the black flags of IS and was recruiting followers in Helmand.

He was also named as deputy leader of IS in " Khorasan ," an old name for Afghanistan, by the outfit in Syria.

Tribal elders in northern Helmand said that a car carrying six people exploded while crossing the desert. Reports claimed that the vehicle was loaded with ammunition.

While Nato confirmed the air strike, it did not corroborate the intended target.

The IS controls large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq and is reportedly making inroads into Afghanistan.