Ahmed Abdi Godane dead: Al-Shabab leader killed by US airstrike in Somalia

Leader of the Somali Islamist group al-Shabab Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed following a US attack earlier this week

Ahmed Abdi Godane, the leader of the Somali Islamist group al-Shabab, was killed following a US attack earlier this week, the Pentagon has confirmed.

The US carried out air strikes on Monday night targeting a convoy in which he was travelling.

“Removing Godane from the battlefield is a major symbolic and operational loss to al-Shabab,” the Pentagon press secretary said in a statement.

Ahmed Abdi Godane was one of the US state department’s most wanted men.

Leader of the Somali Islamist group al-Shabab Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed following a US attack earlier this week

It had placed a bounty of $7 million on his head.

Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said the military action on September 1 had “led to his death”.

The US has supported the African Union (AU) force that has driven al-Shabab out of the capital, Mogadishu, and other towns since 2011.

The al-Qaeda-linked fighters want to overthrow the UN-backed Somali government and frequently attack government targets as well as neighboring countries that provide troops to the AU force.

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Roy Siemens

Roy likes politics. Knowledge is power, Roy constantly says, so he spends nearly all day gathering information and writing articles about the latest events around the globe. He likes history and studying about war techniques, this is why he finds writing his articles a piece of cake. Another hobby of his is horse – riding.