MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – US military’s Africa Command said on Monday it had killed an Al-Shabaab leader in an air strike near one of the group’s strongholds in south Somalia.
In a statement, AFRICOM said the strike carried out on Oct. 1 killed an Al-Shabaab leader but did not mention his name, adding that its initial assessment showed that no civilians were injured or killed.
Local media reported that the son of former Islamist leader Sh. Hassan Dahir Aweys, who was identified by local media as Ibrahim was killed in the air raid. According to reports by local media, Ibrahim owned a farm in the Lower Shabelle region and has recently graduated from Mogadishu University.
In a separate statement on Monday, Somali government said a senior Al-Shabaab figure it identified as Abullahi Nadir had been killed in an operation conducted with partner forces.
Al-Shabaab has not yet commented on the claims.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was elected in May, declared an all-out war against Al-Shabaab. In response, the group’s spokesman Ali Dhere threatened more attacks targeting government officials and army installations.
On Monday, at least 20 people were killed in three suicide bombings in the central town of Baladweyne which targeted a heavily-fortified army base housing regional presidential complex and other government offices. read more
Last week, the group killed tens of people, including a well-known elder leading pro-government Ma’wisley militias in the central region of Hiran. Somali army and local militias mobilized by the government, with US air support, seized control of parts of the region weeks earlier, though they have later pulled out.
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