U.S. confirms air strike killed militant commander

MOGADISHU, Somalia— The U.S. military on Friday confirmed it killed a high-level commander of the al-Shabab extremist group with an air strike in Somalia over the weekend, targeting a man blamed for planning deadly attacks in the capital of the Horn of Africa nation.

President Trump earlier this year approved expanded military operations against the al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab, including more aggressive air strikes and considering parts of southern Somalia areas of active hostilities. Al-Shabab is the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa.

Just hours after the U.S. military confirmed that a drone strike on July 30 killed Ali Mohamed Hussein (also known as Ali Jabal), at least two people were killed in an apparent car bomb blast on a major street in Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu on Friday evening, police said. Police said the two victims were pedestrians, and that that the target was unknown.

Ali is the highest-level alShabab commander killed this year. The U.S. military 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 extremist 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 extremist group had the upper hand in guerrilla warfare against Somalia’s government in the capital.

The U.S. statement said the air strike 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.

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 U.S. statement said.

The U.S. has carried out a handful of air strikes since Trump’s expansion of military efforts.