Bilal al-Sudani

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Bilal al-Sudani
Born
Sudan
Died25 January 2023
Somalia
Cause of deathAssassination

Bilal al-Sudani, also known as Suhayl Salim Abd el-Rahman (died 25 January 2023) was a member of the al-Shabaab insurgency and later a member of Islamic State in Somalia.

Al-Sudani was designated a terrorist by the U.S. in 2012 for his work in helping to finance foreigners traveling to al-Shabaab training camps. Al-Sudani later began to help finance ISIS in Africa and other countries including Afghanistan. In 2022, the U.S. accused al-Sudani of working with a South African, Abdella Hussein Abadigga, to recruit young men in South Africa for ISIS and send them to weapons training camps.[1] He was likely in charge of the IS office in Somalia, which was influential in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique.[2]

Al-Sudani was killed by DEVGRU operators in a raid on a cave system in northern Somalia on January 25, 2023.[3] The raid was intended to lead to his capture.[4] Ten members of the group were also killed in the operation with no civilian or U.S. casualties.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Madhani, Aamer; Long, Colleen (25 January 2023). "US military kills senior Islamic State official in Somalia". AP News. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  2. ^ Carter, Brian; Tyson, Kathryn; Karr, Liam; Mills, Peter (1 February 2023). "Salafi-Jihadi Movement Weekly Update, February 1, 2023". Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute.
  3. ^ "US Military Kills Senior Islamic State Official in Somalia". VOA News. Associated Press. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  4. ^ Martinez, Luis (26 January 2023). "Top Islamic State leader killed in U.S. raid in Somalia, officials say". ABC News. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  5. ^ US military operation kills senior ISIS leader in Somalia, Haley Britzky and Sam Fossum, CNN, January 26, 2023