Bilal al-Sudani: US forces kill Islamic State Somalia leader in cave complex - BBC

US forces person killed an Islamic State leader, Bilal al-Sudani, and 10 of his operatives successful bluish Somalia, American officials say.

He was killed aft US peculiar forces raided a distant mountainous cave analyzable hoping to seizure him.

"Al-Sudani was liable for fostering the increasing beingness of ISIS successful Africa," Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

He besides allegedly funded the group's activities globally, Mr Austin added.

Analysts accidental the information that US troops were sent to termination oregon seizure Sudani, alternatively than utilizing a little risky drone strike, indicates his significance.

In caller years, the Islamic State radical has reportedly expanded its activities into respective African countries, including Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

However Islamic State is simply a comparatively tiny radical successful Somalia, with the al-Qaeda linked radical al-Shabab acold much salient - it controls galore confederate areas.

Prior to joining Islamic State, Sudani allegedly did operational enactment for al-Shabab, assisting with grooming fighters.

He is accused of playing a "financial relation with specialized skills which made him an important people for US counterterrorism action," an anonymous US authoritative told the AFP quality agency.

The cognition to people Sudani is said to person taken months to plan.

"It's a precise affirmative and welcoming," said Somali authorities information advisor Hussein Sheikh Ali.

He stressed that Islamic State was not arsenic large a menace arsenic al-Shabab successful Somalia, but that Sudani was "dangerous".

"The connection is, that the leaders of each panic groups successful Somalia are not safe," helium continued.

IS Somalia is 1 of the group's smaller branches - claiming 32 attacks successful 2022, mostly successful the superior of Mogadishu.

One UN study from past twelvemonth estimated the fig of Islamic State fighters successful Somalia was astir 200 to 280 and that the state is utilized arsenic a important basal to concern IS enactment successful Iraq and the Levant, but this has not been independently verified by the BBC.

Just past week IS published a uncommon propaganda video from its Somalia branch, which showed combat footage of clashes with Somali forces successful a mountainous portion successful the north-eastern Bari region.

The raid comes little than a week aft the US said a drone onslaught had killed 30 al-Shabab militants.

In caller months, pro-government forces successful Somalia person been making advancement against al-Shabab.