US Air Strike Targets Senior Al-Shabab Leader

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A US air strike in Somalia has targeted a senior al-Shabab leader accused of participating in deadly attacks on African forces and American citizens. The Pentagon said on Friday the strike was aimed at Hassan Ali Dhoore, also described as a key member al-Qaeda.

It was unclear whether al-Shabab members were killed in the attack on Thursday, and the US defence department was “assessing the results of this operation”, a statement said.  “Removing Dhoore from the battlefield would be a significant blow to al-Shabab’s operational planning and ability to conduct attacks,”Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook was quoted saying.

Dhoore is said to be a member of al-Shabab’s Amniyat, or security and intelligence wing, and was involved in high-profile attack planning in the capital, Mogadishu. The Pentagon said he planned and oversaw attacks resulting in the deaths of African Union military personnel and at least three US citizens.

Quoting unidentified US officials, The Associated Press reported that Dhoore and two others were killed in a drone strike 32km south of Jilib in southern Somalia, not far from the Kenyan border. The officials were not authorised to discuss the strike publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.