U.S. Airstrike Targets Senior al-Shabaab Leader in Somalia
The U.S. military carried out an airstrike in southern Somalia that targeted a “senior leader” of the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab, the Pentagon said.
The attack took place yesterday in Saakow, about 325 kilometers (202 miles) west of the capital, Mogadishu, spokesman Mark Wright said in a statement e-mailed from Washington. He didn’t identify the target.
“We are assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information, when appropriate, as details become available,” Wright said. “At this time, we do not assess there to be any civilian or bystander casualties.”
The strike comes three months after manned U.S. aircraft and drones killed Ahmed Abdi Godane, the leader of the al-Qaeda-linked militant group that has waged an insurgency against Somalia’s government since 2006. The U.S. declared the militia a terrorist organization in 2008.
The attacks by the U.S. follow a series of military setbacks that al-Shabaab has suffered since African Union-backed Somali government troops forced the militants to withdraw from Mogadishu in August 2011. Since then, the army has forced the insurgents to relinquish control of about 70 percent of southern and central Somalia, according to the presidency.
Last week, Zakariya Ismail Hersi, a senior al-Shabaab commander wanted by the U.S., surrendered to the Somali authorities. The U.S. State Department in 2012 offered a $3 million reward for information leading to the capture of Hersi, describing him as head of the group’s intelligence.
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