On Monday, the United States again attempted to kill the leader of the Somali Islamist group Al Shabab, Ahmed Godane, one of the eight most wanted international terrorist by Washington.
The Department of Defense confirmed Tuesday that Godane was the target of an American air strike on Monday in southern Somalia against Al Shabab camp, but acknowledged that so far they have not been able to verify if the leader of the extremist organization was killed in the secret operation.
“The operation was a direct attack against Al Shabab network specifically against the group’s leader Ahmed Abdi Al Mohammed, also known as Ahmed Godane,” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
He explained that special forces, using manned and unmanned (drone) aircraft attacked an Al Shabab “camp” in south-central Somalia, south of the capital Mogadishu in Lower Shabelle region. During the operation, “numerous” air-ground Hellfire missiles were launched, as well as laser-guided munitions that destroyed a vehicle on the camp.
If the death of the terrorist leader is confirmed, this would be a “major blow” to the entire network of Al Shabab, said the military spokesman.
