The United States-affiliated Somali forces have killed a senior al-Shabaab commander they believe is responsible for multiple terror attacks, an official said.
The African country’s Somali National Army (SNA) carried out the raid Sunday at a village in Middle Shabelle region, about 30 km (18 miles) from the capital, Mogadishu.
Lt. Col. Abdirahman Mohamed, an SNA commander, said that the commander killed was identified as Hassan Ulibaax, who was also known as “Dooli,” the Somali term for “brother.”
Ulibax was described as one of al-Shabaab’s top commanders and his death is a significant blow to the militant group.
He is believed to have been behind a series of attacks on the Somali government, as well as targeting Somali civilians in the south and central parts of the country.
Ulibax had achieved notoriety in the region for his involvement in a number of suicide bombings and other terror attacks.
The SNA stated that they had also captured five other militants in the raid, including Ulibax’s bodyguard. They further added that they had seized a large weapons cache which included several rocket-propelled grenades, AK-47s, and a number of mortars.
The U.S. has strongly backed the Somali government in its fight against al-Shabaab. Last January, U.S. forces conducted an airstrike in the same region, killing several militants.
This latest operation shows progress in the Somali government’s fight against al-Shabaab. However, the terror group still poses a serious threat to the country and the region, and has been able to carry out attacks despite the efforts of the government and their international allies.
