Lagatar24 Desk
Washington, Jan 27: A US military raid has killed a senior Islamic State (IS) group and 10 other terrorists operatives in a remote area of northern Somalia, said US officials.
The operation that was carried out on Wednesday targeted Bilal al-Sudani, a major financial facilitator for the global terrorist organization, in a mountainous cave complex.
At least 10 of Sudani`s Islamic State operatives were killed at the scene, but no Americans were injured, said the officials.
“This action keeps the United States and its partners safer and more secure, and it reflects our steadfast commitment to protecting Americans from domestic and international terrorist threats,” said the Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
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The proposed mission was discussed with President Joe Biden last week. He gave his final approval to conduct the operation this week after holding talks with Austin and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen Mark Milley, said two senior Biden administration officials, on the condition of anonymity.
Under the US intelligence surveillance for many years, Al-Sudan played a key role in funding the IS operations in Africa and the ISIS-K terrorist group operating in Afghanistan, said Austin.
The US Treasury Department alleged last year that al-Sudani had worked closely with another IS operative, Abdella Hussein Abadigga, who had recruited young men in South Africa and sent them to a weapons training camp.