In a major counterterrorism operation carried out on orders from President Joseph Biden, the US military conducted a precision strike on a mountainous cave complex in northern Somalia. The operation resulted in the death of key ISIS operative Bilal al-Sudani and several other ISIS affiliates.

According to a senior administration official, the US had prepared for the possibility of capturing al-Sudani but the hostile response from Islamic State forces led to his death on January 25.

President Biden was thoroughly briefed on the intelligence, planning and risks involved in the operation by the Department of Defence. After careful consideration and consultation with his national security team, the President authorised the operation, US officials said.

The US assessed al-Sudani of providing funding to support the operational capabilities of ISIS elements around the world, including its core branch in Afghanistan. The United States’ preference was to pursue capture operations, but in this case, it was not feasible, the senior administration official stated.

“This precision operation took place in a mountainous cave complex in northern Somalia. Thankfully, and based on extensive planning and exquisite execution of the plan, there were no casualties among American servicemembers or civilians,” the official said.

The US military’s Africa Command (Africom) has been conducting operations in support of the Somali National Army against Al-Shabaab. In the past week, there have been at least three airstrikes carried out, all in remote areas where Somali forces were conducting operations. AFRICOM said it is providing training, advising, and equipping to the Somali forces to defeat Al-Shabaab.

• A Tell report