US targets al-Shabaab leader in Somalia

By Kasim Ileri

WASHINGTON

U.S. military targeted a senior leader of al-Shabaab in Somalia, the Pentagon said Friday.

According to Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook, U.S. aircraft targeted Hassan Ali Dhoore, an alleged senior leader of al-Shabaab on Thursday.

“We are still assessing the results of this operation,” Cook said. “Removing Dhoore from the battlefield would be a significant blow to al-Shabaab's operational planning and ability.”

Cook also said that Dahoore was also affiliated with al-Qaeda while at the same time leading al-Shabaab’s security and intelligence wing.

According to Cook, Dhoore played “a direct role” in the Mogadishu International Airport attack in late 2014 where several personnel of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and one U.S. citizen were killed.

He is also claimed to be responsible for several other deadly attacks including the one on the Maka al-Mukarram Hotel in Mogadishu, killing 15 people last year.