US forces in Somalia have killed an ISIS leader, Bilal al-Sudani, and other members of the group, in a counterterrorism operation.
Al-Sudani was responsible for the expansion of the ISIS presence in Africa and funding the group’s operations worldwide, including in Afghanistan. The mission is part of a series of operations against extremist militants in Somalia, which has seen the US carry out around half a dozen engagements in the country over the last two months. The US returned to Somalia in 2022 following a 2021 withdrawal by the Trump administration. The US has roughly 500 troops in Somalia, with roughly 900 in Syria, as well as more based in neighboring countries. These counterterrorism operations have been carried out under the umbrella of laws that are now old enough to fight in these current battles, including the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force. The strikes in Syria have been part of the ongoing US-led anti-ISIS efforts.
Source: https://taskandpurpose.com/news/global-war-on-terrorism-somalia-syria/
