The US on Friday confirmed that the leader of Shebab militants in Somalia was killed in a US air strike this week, in what the White House called a major blow to Al-Qaeda’s network.
The death of Ahmed Abdi Godane is “a major symbolic and operational loss to the largest Al-Qaeda affiliate in Africa and reflects years of painstaking work by our intelligence, military and law enforcement professionals,” the White House said in a statement.
“We have confirmed that Ahmed Godane, the co-founder of al-Shabaab, has been killed” in an air raid carried out on Monday, Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said. The attack was launched at 1520 GMT on Monday, with both drones and manned aircraft bombing a gathering of Shebab commanders, using Hellfire missiles and laser-guided bombs, Kirby had told reporters earlier this week.
The State Department has listed Godane as one of the world’s eight top terror fugitives and analysts say his death would marks a serious setback for the Shebab forces.