Senior ISIS Leader in Somalia Killed in U.S. Special Operations Raid - The New York Times

Politics|Senior ISIS Leader successful Somalia Killed successful U.S. Special Operations Raid

WASHINGTON — Special Operations troops killed a elder Islamic State person successful a chopper raid successful a distant country of Somalia connected Thursday, U.S. officials said.

An authoritative who spoke connected information of anonymity identified the antheral arsenic Bilal al-Sudani, an Islamic State person operating successful Somalia.

United States Africa Command said successful a quality merchandise that the U.S. subject had “conducted a palmy counterterrorism cognition successful Somalia.”

Biden medication officials said that no civilians were injured oregon killed successful the raid. They besides said that nary of the American troops progressive were hurt, though 1 was bitten by a canine they brought with them.

In a connection connected Thursday, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said Mr. al-Sudani “was liable for fostering the increasing beingness of ISIS successful Africa and for backing the group’s operations worldwide, including successful Afghanistan.”

During a telephone with reporters Thursday afternoon, a elder medication authoritative described Mr. al-Sudani arsenic “a cardinal operative and facilitator for ISIS’s planetary network.” The authoritative said that the operative was killed on with 10 different Sudanese Islamic State associates.

The raid took spot successful a distant mountainous cave analyzable successful bluish Somalia.

The authoritative said that the Special Operations troops were prepared to seizure Mr. Al-Sudani but that the effect from his associates erstwhile American troops arrived astatine their cave analyzable “resulted successful his death.”

Somalia is amended known arsenic a harbor for Al Shabab, the coercion radical linked to Al Qaeda, than for the Islamic State. But Islamic State attacks person accrued crossed Africa.