"They're creating a proto-state that stretches like a belt from western Mali all the way to the borderlands of Benin. ... It is a substantial - even exponential - expansion," said Héni Nsaibia, West Africa senior analyst for the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project.
"President Trump will meet with interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday - despite the former al Qaeda leader having a $10 million American bounty on his head until recently."
In a statement released by CENTCOM, they mentioned that a significant airstrike on an ISIL camp on September 16 resulted in the death of at least 28 operatives, including four senior leaders, thereby hindering ISIL's operational capabilities against U.S. interests and allies.