US targets Al Shebab’s top leader in Somalia

Mogadishu, Sept. 2: US forces have carried out airstrikes against the leader of Somalia’s Al Qaeda- linked Shebab rebels, with casualties reported but uncertainty hanging over the fate of the main target, the officials said on Tuesday.

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 airstrike targeting a gathering by senior Al Shebab 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 Shebab supreme commander Ahmed Abdi Godane, listed by the US state department as one of the world’s eight top terror fugitives. 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 and will provide additional information as and when appropriate,” Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a statement.

The Shebab said they did not want to comment on possible casualties or the fate of Godane. The airstrike 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.

Shebab fighters have largely fled in the face of the advance, and Mr Nur said the airstrike was targeting Shebab commanders as they gathered for a meeting. “They were meeting to discuss about the current offensive in the region,” Mr Nur said. “There were casualties inflicted on the militants, but we don’t have details so far.”

Mr Nur said the strike hit a Shebab hideout used as a training camp for suicide bombers, in remote villages of the Lower Shabelle region, south of the capital Mogadishu.