One of the few Keralites, who were suspected to have joined the Islamic State in Afghanistan, has reportedly died in the latest bomb strike by the United States in the Achin district of Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

As many as 36 suspected Islamic State militants were killed in Afghanistan when the United States dropped " the mother of all bombs ," its largest non-nuclear device ever unleashed in combat, the Afghan defence ministry said on Friday.

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The claims have not been independently verified, but ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said no civilians were harmed in Thursday's massive blast that targeted a network of caves and tunnels.

Also Read: Dropping 'Mother Of All Bombs' In Afghanistan Is Trump's Loud And Clear Message To Terrorists

"No civilian has been hurt and only the base which Daesh used to launch attacks in other parts of the province, was destroyed," Waziri said in a statement, using an Arabic term for Islamic State, which has established a small stronghold in eastern Afghanistan and launched deadly attacks on the capital, Kabul.

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The huge bomb , delivered via an MC-130 transport plane, has a blast yield equivalent to 11 tons of TNT, and the weapon was originally designed as much to intimidate foes as to clear broad areas.

"The GBU-43/B is the largest non-nuclear bomb ever deployed in combat," Air Force spokesman Colonel Pat Ryder said.

Achin district governor Esmail Shinwari said the bomb landed in the Momand Dara area of Achin district.

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"The explosion was the biggest I have ever seen. Towering flames engulfed the area," Shinwari told AFP.

Nangarhar, which borders Pakistan, is a hotbed of IS militancy. US forces have conducted a number of air strikes on jihadist bases in the area since August last year.

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The information about Murshid's death was received by his family through a telegram message.

Earlier in February, another youth from the same group was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan.

The message was received by a distant relative of Hafesudheen Theke Koleth in Kasaragod, Kerala, who was from the missing 21-member group who have left the nation.

The message went on to say that the killed youth had been buried in Afghanistan.