Strike in Somalia would kill mastermind behind attacks on Americans and Kenyans
A senior leader of the Somali terrorist group al-Shabab, accused of planning multiple attacks that killed 148 Kenyans in a university town and three Americans at a military base, was killed in a US military drone strike on Sunday, according to Somali and American officials.
Maalim Ayman was killed on December 17 by a US Special Operations drone strike in a joint operation with the Somali National Army, officials said. It is believed that he is responsible for the attack on January 5, 2020 on a military base in Manda Bay, Kenya, killing two American contract pilots and one American soldier. A third American contractor and two other American soldiers were injured. Six American aircraft were destroyed in the attack.
Somalia, a strategic nation in the Horn of Africa, has been fending off attacks by the extremist group Al-Shabab since 2006, with the help of troops from Kenya, the United States and the African Union. Mr Ayman was believed to be the mastermind of a unit carrying out attacks in Kenya, Somalia’s southern neighbour.
Officially, the U.S. Africa Command, while confirming the attack in Somalia, did not identify the target. Pending further analysis, the command said in a statement. But a US military official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters, said the attack successfully targeted Mr Ayman, as did a Somali Cabinet member. .
Somalia’s current government has made defeating the terrorist group a cornerstone of its policies President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud promised to defeat the group militarily and financially. And even though they have lost territory and fighters, the Shabab have proven to be resilient continue to carry out deadly attacks in hotels, restaurants and ministries that have left hundreds dead.
The attack on Mr Ayman took place near Jilib, a Shabab-controlled stronghold in southern Somalia, the US military official said.
Somalia’s Information Minister Daud Aweis, who also confirmed Mr Ayman’s killing, said Mr Ayman was the sole target of the attack. He declined to release further information about how Mr. Ayman was killed or how officials confirmed his identity.
“It took us three days to complete the process and we confirm that he is no more,” Mr. Aweis said in a telephone interview.
Earlier this year there was the Reward for Justice program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Mr. Ayman.
By attacking Mr. Ayman, the Somali government “sent a message because we believe that anyone responsible for the merciless acts of violence against our people must be punished or brought to justice,” said Mr. Aweis, the minister of Information. “We saw him as an obstacle to Somalia’s goal of achieving cohesion and harmony, both within Somalia and with neighboring countries.”