The United States (US) military on Friday confirmed it killed a high-level commander of the Al Shabab militant group with an airstrike in Somalia over the weekend, targeting a man blamed for planning deadly attacks in the capital of the Horn of Africa nation.
US President Donald Trump earlier this year approved expanded military operations against the Al Qaida-linked Al Shabab, including more aggressive air strikes and considering parts of southern Somalia areas of active hostilities. Al Shabab is the deadliest militant group in Africa.
A US Africa Command statement said the strike on July 30 killed Ali Mohamed Hussein, also known as Ali Jabal. He is the highest-level Al Shabab commander killed this year.
The statement said he “was responsible for leading Al Shabab forces operating in the Mogadishu and Banadiir regions in planning and executing attacks against the capital of Mogadishu.”
Ali also had served as the group's shadow governor for Mogadishu and had been one of Al Shabab's most outspoken officials. In his last public speech earlier this year, he boasted that the group had the upper hand in guerrilla warfare against Somalia's government in the capital.
The US statement said the airstrike occurred near Tortoroow, an Al Shabab stronghold in Lower Shabelle region in southern Somalia “as a direct response to Al Shabab actions, including recent attacks on Somali forces.” It said no civilians were killed in the strike.
The US Africa Command has told The Associated Press it was a drone strike. Al Shabab often carries out deadly attacks on high-profile targets in Mogadishu, including Somali military and African Union checkpoints and facilities, hotels and the area around the presidential palace.
The killing of Ali “disrupts Al Shabab's ability to plan and conduct attacks in Mogadishu and coordinate efforts between Al Shabab regional commanders,” the US statement said.
The US has carried out a handful of airstrikes since Trump's expansion of military efforts. The US military in early July said it carried out an airstrike against Al Shabab in Somalia and was assessing the results, with few details. The airstrike followed one in June that the US said killed eight extremists at a rebel command and logistics camp in the south.