US Navy SEAL kills ISIS banker Bilal Al-Sudani, 10 militants in Somalia

NAIROBI, Kenya - A top ISIS commander was on Thursday killed in Somalia following a US army airstrike, in what Washington describes as "tremendous success" in the fight against violent extremists within the Horn of Africa nation, which is also battling with Al-Shabaab insurgency.

Bilal al-Sudani, a Sudanese national who is a key ISIS facilitator was killed along with 10 others in the airstrike that the US first confirmed on Thursday evening before giving further details. The command would later give more particulars on the airstrike on Friday morning.

Officials said that after "extensive planning and exquisite execution of the plan, there were no casualties among American service members or civilians." al-Sudani was involved in the funding of IS-Somalia militants and affiliates around the world and has been working to expand the network around the world.

Lloyd Austin, the Defense Secretary, confirmed the news, noting that al-Sudani was "responsible for fostering the growing presence of ISIS in Africa and for funding the group’s operations worldwide, including in Afghanistan."

"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," Austin said. "We are grateful to our extraordinary service members as well as our intelligence community and other interagency partners for their support to this successful counterterrorism operation."

"Protecting civilians remains a vital part of the command’s operations to promote greater security for all Africans," U.S. Africa Command said.

The operation was the result of what officials called "extraordinary coordination and careful planning across all elements of the U.S. government for many months."

Planning of the operation reached a "critical stage" last week. The Pentagon briefed President Biden on the plan, along with Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Deputy CIA Director David Cohen, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and other senior members of the White House national security team.

President Joe Biden authorized the operation earlier this week following a thorough check and after "ensuring that key questions that he had about the risk to our forces and the impact of the operation on potential civilians in the area had been answered to his satisfaction."

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley made a recommendation to President Joe Biden after careful assessment. Also, careful consideration was done in consultation with the local community according to insiders.

At first, the US Africa Command assessed if al-Sudani would resist and cause damage to locals and, or the US Secretary. But further examination showed he would not risk either of the two groups.

"An intended capture operation was ultimately determined to be the best option to maximize the intelligence value of the operation and increase its precision in challenging terrain," one official said. "At the same time, and based on extensive past experience, we recognize that even an intended capture operation might well result in al-Sudani’s death — as it ultimately did."

"That was a dog bite by one of our canines on one of our own service members," the official said. "That’s how precise and meticulous this operation was."

Another official described the operation as a "significant counterterrorism achievement" and that it reflects "keyways" in which the Biden administration’s approach to addressing international terrorist threats has evolved, Fox News reports.

"Our approach starts from the fundamental recognition that the terrorism threat today is more diverse — ideologically diverse and geographically dispersed than it was 20 or so years ago," the official said.

According to the official, President Joe Biden and his government are determined to have "the combination of light footprints, operational agility, and intelligence inside to determine where the threats to Americans arise from now." The official said those threats include ISIS, Al-Shabaab, and others.

Officials added that the intelligence community "expects to glean valuable information from this operation."

"The United States and our allies and partners are safer today as a result of this operation than yesterday," an official said. "The president will continue to take all necessary steps to protect the United States and its interests around the world from terrorist threats where they exist."

IS-Somalia has been trying to expand territory but the traditional rivalry with Al-Shabaab has made it impossible, limiting their operations only to parts of Puntland, while Al-Shabaab is dominant in many parts of the country. IS Somalia is said to have recruited a number of people from foreign nations.

The US has been partnering with the Somali National Army, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS], and local militia in the fight against the extremists. This week, the Somali government announced that around 300 militants were killed in operations at Gal'ad and Haradhere towns.

GAROWE ONLINE