The United States Special Forces KILLED ISIS Al Sudani Leaders And 10 Followers In Somalia

ISIS illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/VOA)

JAKARTA - The United States special operations force succeeded in killing one of ISIS' senior leaders and his followers in Somalia in a military operation, Washington officials said.

Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters the ISIS leader was Bilal al-Sudani, who died along with about 10 of his members.

They added that the operation was approved by President Joe Biden earlier this week and carried out in the past 24 hours, without elaborating on the implementation of the operation.

A senior administration official told reporters Al Sudani was deemed to have supported the expansion and militant activities across Africa, as well as Afghanistan's ISIS-K branch, one of the deadliest group affiliates.

Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department said Al Sudani was linked to the militant group Al Shabab in 2012, where he helped foreign fighters travel to training camps and facilitate financing for foreign violent extremists in Somalia, an official said, citing The National News.

Al Sudani "has a major operational and financial role with special skills, making it an important target for US counterterrorism", the official said.

Washington has prepared to capture Al Sudani, in the hope of maximizing intelligence gathering from the operation. "However, the response of enemy forces to the operation resulted in his death".

Separately, US military African Command said in a statement that no civilians were injured or killed in the operation.

The ISIS-Somalia network operates primarily between Yemen and Somalia, has ties to other terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda and Al Shabab, according to the US State Department.