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US strike part of anti-Shabaab operation: Somalia

Governor Siidii said the strike targeted top Shabaab leader Ahmed Godane and other senior commanders

02.09.2014 - Update : 02.09.2014
US strike part of anti-Shabaab operation: Somalia

MOGADISHU

A U.S. strike that targeted top leaders of the Al-Shabaab militant group in Somalia's Lower Shebelle region late Monday comes as part of the Somali government's efforts to root out the Al-Qaeda-linked group, a senior official has said.

"The American strike is part of 'Operation Indian Ocean,' which targets Al-Shabaab," Lower Shebelle Governor Abdukadir Nur Siidii told Anadolu Agency by phone on Tuesday.

The Pentagon announced late Monday that U.S. forces had targeted a meeting of Al-Shabaab leaders in Lower Shebelle.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. was assessing the outcome of the strike and would provide more information when appropriate.

Governor Siidii said the strike had targeted top Shabaab leader Ahmed Godane, the group's commander in Lower Shebelle, and a number of foreign fighters who had been at the meeting.

He said the strike had most likely killed some Al-Shabaab members, judging from the group's reaction.

"They punished local residents, particularly those who have cell phones," said the governor. "Al-Shabaab usually does that after sustaining losses among its ranks."

"Operation Indian Ocean," which the Somali government touts as a "final assault" on Al-Shabaab, was launched last week.

The Lower Shebelle region is Al-Shabaab's last stronghold, where the port city of Barawe remains under the group's control.

The coastal city is believed to be Al-Shabaab's main source of revenue, generating millions of dollars from the illegal sale of charcoal to the Middle East.

It is also reportedly an entry point for weapons and serves as a base for the group's top commanders, including Godane.

Despite the government-led military operation, Al-Shabaab has continued to carry out attacks in capital Mogadishu.

On Sunday, at least eight militants, three Somali soldiers and two civilians were killed in an attack at a prison operated by Somalia's intelligence agency.

The Horn of Africa country has remained in the grip of on-again, off-again violence since the outbreak of civil war in 1991.

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