THE leader of the Islamic State (IS) group in Afghanistan was killed in an airstrike Saturday, Afghan officials said Sunday.

Abu Saad Erhabi and 10 other members are said to have died in an operation in the eastern province of Nangarhar, near the border with Pakistan.

He is the fourth Afghan leader of the group to be killed in recent years.

The IS affiliate has been active there since 2014, claiming a number of deadly recent attacks.

It is sometimes known as Islamic State Khorasan after a historic name for Afghanistan and surrounding areas.

The National Directorate of Security in Kabul said the strikes that killed Erhabi were part of a joint air and ground operation conducted alongside U.S.-led coalition forces.

The group has been blamed for a number of attacks in Afghanistan this year. (SD-Agencies)