A US counter-terrorism attack has left key ISIS leader Bilal al-Sudani dead along with 10 other members of the Islamic group, senior Biden administration officials announced.
The calculated mission unfolded on Wednesday evening in a mountainous area of northern Somalia in East Africa.
2A US counter-terrorism operation left a senior ISIS leader deadCredit: AP
2The US attack left ISIS leader Bilal al-Sudani dead, along with 10 other members of the Islamic groupCredit: GettyPresident Joe Biden – who was briefed on the proposed mission last week after months of planning – gave the green light to carry out the operation this week.
With extensive planning and “exquisite execution of the plan, there were no casualties among American service members or civilians,” officials revealed.
US officials said al-Sudani was a key financial facilitator for the global terrorist organization in Africa as well as the ISIS-K terrorist branch operating in Afghanistan.
al-Sudani was on the US radar before joining ISIS, dating back to 2012, for his role in helping foreign fighters travel to training camps for al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliate operating in Somalia.
US Africa Command confirmed the mission on Thursday, saying: “Given the remote location of the operation, the assessment is that no civilians were injured or killed.
“Protecting civilians remains a vital part of the command’s operations to promote greater security for all Africans.”
One American involved in the mission was bitten by a military dog but suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
US officials provided little details about how the operation was carried out or the circumstances surrounding al-Sudani’s killing.
One official said that US forces had intended to capture al-Sudani alive, but that did not prove to be “feasible” as the operation was carried out.
The mission was one of several US military counter-terrorism strikes in Somalia in recent weeks.
Last week, the US military conducted an air strike in Somalia that killed dozens of fighters from al-Shabaab.
The US executed three separate airstrikes on al-Shabaab operatives on December 23, 17 and 14, according to news releases from US Africa Command.
Story Credit: thesun.co.uk