The US military carried out an operation in northern Somalia that killed an Islamic State (IS) leader, identified as Bilal al-Sudani, and "about ten people" linked to the terrorist organization said , Thursday, January 26, US representatives.
"Al-Sudani was responsible for encouraging the Islamic State group's growing presence in Africa and funding its operations around the world, including in Afghanistan," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
This operation, prepared for "several months", caused no casualties either in the civilian population or among the American military, said a senior White House official during an interview with journalists.
The senior official, who did not wish to be identified, said the raid was preceded by "intensive rehearsals" by US forces, at sites "specifically constructed" to mimic the terrain where it took place, a cavern in the mountains of northern Somalia.
"We were ready to capture al-Sudani," she said.
Joe "Biden has made it very clear that we are committed to finding and eliminating all terrorist threats against the United States and against the American people, wherever they are, even in the most remote places," another claimed. White House official.
Last August, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed on his balcony in Afghanistan by a US drone strike
With AFP
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