AFRICOM confirms killing of Shabaab commander Abdulqadir Commandos in airstrike

The United States military command in Africa has identified the senior Al-Shabaab commander killed in the August 25 airstrike as Abdulqadir Commandos, one of the ranking figures in the terrorist organisation.

AFRICOM said in a statement Tuesday it killed Commandos in Saakow in Middle Jubba region in a precision strike.

“The Al-Shabaab leader was killed in the airstrike near Saakow, Somalia. He held numerous positions within the Al-Shabaab terrorist organization, including recently serving as a senior Al-Shabaab commander,” a statement from AFRICOM read in part.

AFRICOM commander Gen. Stephen Townsend said such strikes were ‘critical to degrading their ability to spread chaos and violence in Somalia and beyond.’

AFRICOM has since conducted 46 airstrikes in Somalia since the beginning of the killing bringing down some key Al-Shabaab key figures such as Bashir Mohamed Mahamoud, aka Bashir Qoorgaab, Yusif Jiis, and most recently Abdulqadir Commandos—via precision airstrikes.

Coupled with ground operations by African Union and Somali Security Forces, Al-Shabaab has lost considerable areas of control and personnel but still conducts targeted strikes in various parts of the country including in the capital Mogadishu.