The Somali government says the leader of al-Shabab in the Lower Shabelle region and three of his associates have been killed in a raid in the village of Barire.
The Somali government identified the man as Moalin Osman Abdi Badil. In a statement by the Information Ministry, the government says the operation on May 5 was conducted by the Somali national security forces.
The Somali government says the death the al-Shabab leader Badil “significantly disrupts” the group’s ability to operate in the Lower Shabelle region.
The operation marks a turning point in our fight for security,” the statement read.
The Somali statement did not mention if U.S. were involved in the operation in Barire. Last Friday, the U.S. said a Navy SEAL has killed an operation to ‘advice and assist” the Somali national army in the same area.
The U.S. Navy SEAL killed was identified as Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Kyle Milliken. The 38-year-old is the first American service member killed in combat in the war-torn country since a deadly battle in 1993.