Latest military reports from Somalia indicate that a senior Al-Shabaab’s commander with a $5 million bounty reward on his head was recently killed in U.S. airstrike last month.
Open sources and Somali local media reported on Saturday of the confirmation of a top Al-Shabaab figure killed on Feb. 22 in the Sakow district of the Jubba region in, south Somalia.
The killing of the terror operative identified as Bashir Mohamed Mahamoud alias Bashir Qoorgaab and who was the head of Al-Shabaab’s operations is a huge blow to the Al-Qaeda branch in East Africa. Elimination of such Al-Shabaab commander would weaken the group and reduce violence.
The sources further reported that Qoorgaab was one of the most battle-hardened Al-Shabaab commanders of the group’s Jabhat (military). Recently he commanded three Al-Shabaab Jabhat units, two of which are operating in Kenya’s Boni forest. He also has been responsible for a series of attacks on Somalia national army military bases among other attacks.
Since 2008, Al-Shabaab has been fighting to topple Somalia’s central government and establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islam’s sharia law and despite increased U.S. airstrikes, the terrorist group has remained resilient, stepping up attacks of bombings and gun attacks has targeting Somali military bases and civilian infrastructure including hotels, bars and schools in both Somalia and other regional countries. The group has also targeted American manned bases in Somalia and in Kenya’s Manda Bay.
