WASHINGTON – A US military operation killed a number of Islamic State (IS) members in Somalia on Wednesday, including a key leader of the group, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said yesterday.
Among those killed was Bilal al-Sudani, “an IS leader in Somalia and a key facilitator for IS’ global network,” said Austin in a statement, reported Xinhua.
“Al-Sudani was responsible for fostering the growing presence of IS in Africa and for funding the group’s operations worldwide, including in Afghanistan,” he said.
Authorised by President Joe Biden, the operation was carried out in northern Somalia and caused no civilian deaths, the statement added. – Bernama, January 27, 2023
