U.S. Special Operations forces killed Islamic State leader Bilal al-Sudani on Thursday during a raid in northern Somalia. According to a senior U.S. government official quoted in the New York Times, al-Sudani was a “key operative and facilitator for ISIS’s global network.” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said al-Sudani “was responsible for fostering the growing presence of ISIS in Africa and for funding the group’s operations worldwide.” 

The U.S. Africa Command said no civilians were hurt or killed in the raid.

ALLIES VOW TO SEND TANKS TO UKRAINE 

This week, Germany signaled its approval for countries to send German-built Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Following this announcement, the United States, Canada, Poland and Britain, among several other European allies, promised to ship both Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine. 24 hours later, Russian forces unleashed an onslaught of missiles and drones which primarily targeted Kyiv and Odesa. 11 people were killed and another 11 were injured in the strikes. 

ADAM SCHIFF ANNOUNCES SENATE CAMPAIGN

Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced his plan to run for the California Senate seat, which 89-year-old Dianne Feinstein presently holds. Feinstein has not yet announced her retirement but said she will choose whether to run again in 2024 within the next few months. Schiff will run against Representative Katie Porter (D-CA) who said she was looking to capture Feinstein’s seat several weeks ago. 

Other potential contenders include Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), the latter of whom served as the co-chair of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in 2020.