MOGADISHU: US forces have carried out air strikes against the leader of Somalia’s Al Qaeda-linked Shabab rebels, with casualties reported but uncertainty hanging over the fate of the main target, officials said yesterday.
The Pentagon confirmed an “operation” was carried out on Monday against the hardline militia, and that it was “assessing the results”. “The Americans carried out a major air strike targeting a gathering by senior Al Shabab officials, including their leader Abu Zubayr,” said Abdukadir Mohamed Nur, governor for southern Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region.
Abu Zubayr is the often-used name for Shabab supreme commander Ahmed Abdi Godane, listed by the US State Department as one of the world’s eight top terror fugitives. If confirmed, Godane’s death would be a major blow for the Shabab.
Washington has carried out a series of drone missile strikes in the past, including attacks reportedly targeting Godane. “We are assessing the results of the operation,” Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said.
The Shabab refused to comment on reports Godane had been killed. “Let the Americans say that they have killed Shabab’s leader,” a senior Shabab official said. “So far the Americans just gave us rumours.”
The air strike comes days after African Union troops and government forces launched “Operation Indian Ocean”, a major offensive aimed at seizing key ports from the Islamist rebels and cutting off one of their key sources of revenue — multi-million dollar exports of charcoal. “They were meeting to discuss about the current offensive in the region,” Nur said. “There were casualties inflicted on the militants, but we don’t have details so far.”
AFP
