Senior al-Shabaab leader killed in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia

Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) on Tuesday said it has killed a senior al-Shabaab leader in a security operation.

Terrorist leader Mohamed Sahal Idle, known by his alias Abu Usaama, was killed in an operation conducted in collaboration with international partners near the town of Sakow in the al-Shabaab-held region of Middle Juba, NISA said in a statement.

It said that Usaama was notorious for his crimes against the Somali people and was a close associate of the group’s leader, Ahmed Diriye.

He was being prepared to replace the group’s former finance chief, Abdullahi Wadaad, who was killed in a NISA-led operation in Kuunyo Barrow, Lower Shabelle, in January this year, according to NISA.

“Abu Usaama was responsible for extortion and looting of Somali citizens’ property,” the statement said.

Al-Shabaab confirmed in a statement that Mohamed Abu Usaama, head of the group’s drought response committee, was killed in an airstrike on the outskirts of Sakow town.

The al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group has been engaged in an insurgency against the Somali government for more than 16 years, frequently targeting security forces, officials, and civilians.

Since July last year, the Somali army, with the support of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and other international partners, has stepped up operations against al-Shabaab.

The AU mission's mandate was renewed by the UN Security Council in December for another year, with a UK-backed resolution extending its authorization until Dec. 31.