WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. military operation killed a number of Islamic State (ISIS) members in Somalia on Wednesday, including a key leader of the extremist group, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday.

File photo: Xinhua

Among those killed was Bilal-al-Sudani, "an ISIS leader in Somalia and a key facilitator for ISIS's global network," said Austin in a statement.

"Al-Sudani was responsible for fostering the growing presence of ISIS in Africa and for funding the group's operations worldwide, including in Afghanistan," he said.

Authorized by President Joe Biden, the operation was carried out in northern Somalia and caused no civilian deaths, the statement added.