The US military targeted the global leader of ISIS in an airstrike in Somalia late last month but cannot confirm whether he was killed, three US officials say, Report informs referring to NBC News.
The US government has publicly identified Abdulqadir Mumin as the head of the ISIS affiliate in Somalia, but two US officials say that last year he quietly became the worldwide leader of the terror group.
US Africa Command released a statement on May 31 saying it had conducted an airstrike against ISIS militants in a remote area 81 km (50 miles) southeast of Bosaso, Somalia, and killed three militants. The AFRICOM statement did not say whom the US was targeting, however, or who was killed. AFRICOM reported that no civilians were killed in the strike.
Three US officials now say Mumin was the target of that operation, even though they do not have confirmation of his death.
A senior administration official confirmed that the US did carry out a strike against a senior ISIS target in Somalia, but declined to provide the individual’s name and said the US is still working to verify the outcome.