Aziz Yuldash, the leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), was killed in an operation by Afghan forces in the northern province of Faryab, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said on Thursday.   

The operation was launched in Sayed Gul village in Ghormach district in the province, the ministry said, adding that and Yuldash's son, Hekmat, was wounded in the operation. 

“Aziz Yuldash had been involved in terrorist attacks and killing of Afghans in the northern provinces," the ministry said. 

The Ministry of Defense did not provide further details about the operation.

IMU is an internationally “designated terrorist organization” founded in 1998. The IMU long pledged its allegiance to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, but in 2015, the group’s emir and most of its fighters publicly shifted their affiliation to Daesh, according to reports. 

The Taliban recently rejected their ties with al-Qaeda and other “terrorist groups.”