Senior Islamic State official killed by US military in remote area of ​​Somalia

The Biden administration announced Thursday that US special operations forces have killed a senior Islamic State official and 10 other terrorist fighters in remote northern Somalia.

Wednesday’s operation targeted Bilal al-Sudani, a key financial intermediary for the global terrorist organization, in a mountainous cave complex.

“These actions make the United States and its partners safer and more secure, and they reflect our unwavering commitment to protecting Americans from the threat of terrorism at home and abroad,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

Last week, President Joe Biden was briefed on the proposed mission, which was drawn up after months of planning. He gave final approval for the operation this week on the recommendation of Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Mark Milley, according to two senior Biden administration officials who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity. .

Al-Sudani, who has been on the radar of U.S. intelligence officials for years, has played a key role in helping fund ISIS operations in Africa, as well as the ISIS-K terrorist branch operating in Afghanistan, Austin said.

The US Treasury Department said last year that al-Sudani worked closely with another IS militant, Abdellah Hussein Abadigga, who recruited young people in South Africa and sent them to a weapons training camp.

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Abadigga, who controlled two mosques in South Africa, used his position to extort money from mosque members. According to the Ministry of Finance, Al-Sudani considered Abadiggah a trusted supporter who could help IS supporters in South Africa become better organized and recruit new members.

Al-Sudani was originally assigned to the finance ministry in 2012 for his role in Al-Shabaab, another terrorist organization operating in Somalia. He helped foreign fighters reach the Al-Shabaab training camp and helped finance violent extremists in Somalia, according to a senior administration official.

According to representatives of the Pentagon, during the operation, none of the civilians were injured or killed. One American involved in the operation was bitten by a military dog ​​but was not seriously injured, an administration official said.

US officials have provided scant details about how the operation was carried out or about the circumstances of al-Sudani’s assassination. One official said the US forces intended to capture al-Sudani, but this proved “unworkable” as the operation progressed.

The operation comes days after Africa Command said it had carried out a collective strike in self-defense northeast of the capital Mogadishu, near Galkad. In this incident, Somali National Army forces fought hard after a long and intense attack by more than 100 al-Shabaab fighters.

The US estimates that about 30 al-Shabaab fighters were killed during this operation.

The offensive by Somali forces against Al-Shabaab has been called the most significant in more than a decade.

Al-Shabab has far more influence in Somalia than ISIS.

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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