The U.S. military says after several days of assessing the results of a weekend airstrike it Libya, it has confirmed it killed a senior member of the terrorist group al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM.
The airstrike took place Saturday in Ubari, Libya and resulted in the death of two people identified as terrorists, according to U.S. Africa Command.
Among the dead was Musa Abu Dawud, described as a high-ranking leader who trained AQIM recruits in Libya for attack operations in the region.
“He provided critical logistics support, funding and weapons to AQIM, enabling the terrorist group to threaten and attack U.S. and Western interests in the region,” an AFRICOM statement said.
The strike was initially reported Friday, but no details were provided.
Now the U.S. military says it has been able to confirm Dawud’s death along with another terror suspect, as well as assessing that no civilians were killed in the strike.
“Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, such as ISIS, have taken advantage of under-governed spaces in Libya to establish sanctuaries for plotting, inspiring, and directing terror attacks; recruiting and facilitating the movement of foreign terrorist fighters; and raising and moving funds to support their operations,” the statement said.
“Left unaddressed, these organizations could continue to inflict casualties on the civilian populations and security forces, and plot attacks against U.S. citizens and allied interests in the region.”
