U.S. officials have reported that the U.S. military targeted the global leader of the "ISIS" organization in an airstrike in Somalia at the end of last month, but it cannot be confirmed whether he was killed or not, according to NBC News.
The U.S. government had publicly identified Abdul Qadir Moamen as the leader of the "ISIS" branch in Somalia, but two American officials stated that he became the global leader of the terrorist organization last year.
U.S. Africa Command issued a statement on May 31, indicating that it conducted an airstrike against "ISIS" militants in a remote area located 81 km southeast of Bossaso, Somalia, killing three militants. However, "Africom" did not specify who the U.S. targeted or who was killed.
"Africom" reported that no civilians were killed in the airstrike. Currently, three U.S. officials say that Moamen was a target of that operation, although they do not have confirmation of his death.
A senior U.S. administration official confirmed that the U.S. did carry out a strike against a major "ISIS" target in Somalia but declined to disclose the person's name and stated that the United States is still working to verify the outcome.
According to a senior defense official, the presence of "ISIS" in Somalia is relatively limited, with the number of its fighters ranging between 100 to 200, all situated in northern Somalia. However, there are also smaller "ISIS" groups in other parts of Africa, including Libya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mozambique.
