Al-Shabaab in a statement confirmed and eulogized the death of one of its senior figures who was wounded in a security operation in the month of October on the border between Lower and Middle Shabelle regions. Mohamed Hassan Omar, alias Abu Abdirahman died in the Middle Juba’s Jilib town from severe wounds but Al-Shabaab contrary stated his death was as a result of long illness.
In a statement, Al-Shabaab confirmed the death of Mohamed Hassan Omar, alias Abu Abdirahman praising him for a number of roles he undertook in Al-Shabaab ranks among them training Al-Shabaab recruits and subsequently leading them in battles. He was also a former leader of Banadir province of Somalia as per Al-Shabaab statement. On the hand, Somali government indicated that the Shabaab senior figure was resposible for misleading the innocent youth.
Besides eulogizing Abu Abdirahman, Al-Shabaab statement was notably a call to Al-Shabaab fighters to continue with its attacks to avenge their leader. “We urge the Somali education community to emulate Sheikh Abu Abdirahman and use their knowledge to benefit their Muslim community. We also urge the Sheikh’s students to continue the Jihad of Sheikh Abu Abdirahman, and fulfill his directive to never give up the fight against the enemies of the religion, the country and the Muslim people” said at the end of the statement of the movement.
Abu Abdirahman is the second senior-most Al-Shabaab key leader to die in the last two months. Hundreds of villages especially in southern prefectures of Somalia have been liberated by government forces and local clan militia forces during the recent offensives, with scores militants being killed in the last six months. However, in central Somalia, Hiran and Galgadud, the regions remain fluid and battle fronts of contestation between Al-Shabaab and government troops.
In October, the country’s Information Ministry revealed that Abdullahi Nadir, one of the co-founders of the Al-Qaeda armed group Al-Shabaab, was killed in a US airstrike. Nadir was reportedly tapped to replace the group’s supposedly ailing leader, Ahmed Diriye, the current emir of Al-Shabaab. The death of these senior leaders within Al-Shabaab ranks is a huge blow to the Islamist militant group that continue to wage callous operations against military forces, government and civilians in an attempt to topple the government and establish an Islamic Sharia rule in Somalia.
