Kabul, July 7 (IANS): Gul Zaman, the number two leader of the Islamic State (IS) branch in Afghanistan, has been killed along with six other IS members in a US drone strike, the country 's intelligence agency said on Tuesday.

"Based on information of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), Daesh (the Arabic acronym of IS) number two leader and Daesh war commander in Khorasan province, named Gul Zaman, along with his deputy named Jahanyar and five other Daesh members were killed following an airstrike in Achin district of eastern Nangarhar province," the NDS said in a statement.

Earlier this year, the IS Sunni radical group, mostly active in Iraq and Syria, announced that it has established a province in Khorasan, a historic name for a region that covers Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of other countries in the region.

The statement did not reveal the exact date of the airstrike which led to the deaths of the targeted militants.

The NDS has set up a special operation team to combat IS-affiliated militants, according to the statement.

"The latest targeted killing of the IS leaders has been a big blow for the group in Afghanistan. The NDS personnel will never allow any international terrorist group, including Daesh, to set up safe havens in Afghanistan," it added.