The U.S. Secretary of Defense announced the killing of an Islamic State leader in Somalia on Thursday. The target was reportedly a key facilitator for ISIS’s global network.
“On January 25, on orders from the President, the U.S. military conducted an assault operation in northern Somalia that resulted in the death of a number of ISIS members, including Bilal-al-Sudani, an ISIS leader in Somalia,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin said in a statement.
Al-Sudani is said to have funded ISIS’s global operations from a mountainous cave complex in northern Somalia, making him a priority target for U.S. action.
The U.S. Africa Command confirmed that the operation was successful and said that no civilians were hurt during the maneuver.
About 10 of al-Sudani’s ISIS operatives were also killed in the raid on Wednesday, USA Today reported.
The operation followed months of coordination and planning by the U.S.
“This action leaves the United States and its partners safer and more secure, and it reflects our steadfast commitment to protecting Americans from the threat of terrorism at home and abroad,” Austin said in the statement.
Somalia is central to stability and security in all of East Africa, according to U.S. Africa Command. Rooting out extremist terrorists requires intervention beyond traditional military means, including efforts to support effective governance, promote stabilization, and foster economic development.
“This operation was the result of extraordinary coordination and careful planning across all elements of the U.S. government for many months,” according to a White House press briefing. “[S]enior members of the President’s national security team were first briefed on the intelligence a number of months ago, and … were regularly updated on the operations planning as it progressed.”
“This history and threat profile speak to the diffuse and network nature of the terrorism threat we face today from ISIS and other foreign terrorist organizations like al Qaeda.”