Senior Al-Shabaab leader injured in airstrike in Jilib

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: A Senior Al-Shabaab leader was injured during a joint operation by the Somali National Army and its international allies in Jilib, middle Jubba region.

According to an official statement released by the Federal Government of Somalia’s Ministry of Information, Osman Mohamed Abdi was the head of external operations responsible for recruiting and smuggling foreign fighters to Somalia to help Al-Shabaab and spreading propaganda.

AFRICOM spokesman Lieutenant Commander Timothy S. Pietrack said the US Army targeted a locating where Abdi was hiding but he is believed to have survived the airstrike.

“Following a comprehensive battle damage assessment, U.S.-AFRICOM has determined that one al-Shabab leader was injured as a result of the operation,” the spokesman told journalists Tuesday.

Government officials said the targeting of top Al-Shabaab leaders was an indication that the militants will not find a safe place to hide in the country as the National Army steps up efforts to completely push the terrorists out of the country.