US special forces have killed an ISIS leader and 10 other terrorists in northern Somalia, said the Biden administration.
The operation carried out on Wednesday targeted Bilal al-Sudani, a key financial facilitator for the global terrorist organisation, in a remote mountainous area with caves.
"This action leaves the United States and its partners safer and more secure, and it reflects our steadfast commitment to protecting Americans from the threat of terrorism at home and abroad," Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
President Joe Biden was briefed last week about the proposed mission and gave final approval to carry out the operation following the recommendation of Austin and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen Mark Milley, according to two senior Biden administration officials who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity.
Al-Sudani, who has been on the radar for US intelligence officials for years, played a key role in helping to fund ISIS operations in Africa as well as the ISIS-K terrorist branch operating in Afghanistan, Austin said.
The US alleged last year that al-Sudani had worked closely with another ISIS operative, Abdella Hussein Abadigga, who had recruited young men in South Africa and sent them to a weapons training camp.
Abadigga, who controlled two mosques in South Africa, used his position to extort money from members of the mosques. Al-Sudani considered Abadigga a trusted supporter who could help ISIS supporters in South Africa become better organised and recruit new members, according to the US.
Al-Sudani had previously been involved with al-Shabab, another terrorist organisation operating in Somalia. He helped foreign fighters travel to an al-Shabab training camp and facilitated financing for violent extremists in Somalia, according to a senior administration official.
No civilians were injured or killed in the operation, Pentagon officials said. One American involved in the operation was bitten by a military dog, but was not seriously injured, according to an administration official.
US officials provided scant details about how the operation was carried out or the circumstances surrounding al-Sudani's killing. One official said that US forces had intended to capture al-Sudani but that did not prove to be "feasible" as the operation was carried out.
The operation comes days after Africa Command said it had conducted a collective self-defence strike northeast of Mogadishu, the capital, near Galcad. In that incident, Somalia National Army forces were engaged in heavy fighting following an extended and intense attack by more than 100 al-Shabab fighters.
The US estimated approximately 30 al-Shabab fighters were killed in that operation.
The offensive by Somalian forces against al-Shabab, who hold a much larger footprint in the country than ISIS, has been described as the most significant in more than a decade.
