According to the Somali government, a prominent al-Shabaab commander who was active in the group’s activities in Kenya and Somalia was killed on Sunday by an American airstrike close to Jilib.
The government claimed that cooperation between the US military and the Somali Armed Forces produced the operation that resulted in Maalim Ayman’s death.
“His killing is a thorn removed from the Somali people,” said a statement issued Thursday by the Ministry of Information.
One al-Shabaab member was slain in the hit in Jilib, according to the U.S. military command in Africa, AFRICOM, which also reported that no civilians were harmed.
“This is another step to defeat the terrorist group that undermines Somalia’s peace and development,” AFRICOM said in a statement without identifying the deceased militant by name.
“U.S. Africa Command will continue to assess the results of the operation and will provide additional information as appropriate. Specific details about the units involved and assets used will not be released in order to ensure operational security,” the statement said.
Al-Shabaab has not issued any statements regarding the reported killing. In an earlier development this year, the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice program announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Maalim Ayman or any individual involved in the January 5, 2020, terrorist attack on U.S. and Kenyan personnel at the Manda Bay Airfield in Kenya.
Ayman was accused by the U.S. of orchestrating the Manda Bay Airfield attack, which resulted in the death of a U.S. soldier and two U.S. Defense Department contractors. Additionally, it left two other U.S. service members and a third Defense contractor wounded.
The Manda Bay Airfield is situated within a Kenyan Defense Forces military base utilised by U.S. armed forces to provide training and counterterrorism support to East African partners. Its primary purposes include responding to crises and safeguarding U.S. interests in the region, as outlined by the State Department.
