The U.S. Department of Defense says Al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Godane was indeed killed during a military airstrike in Somalia this week.
Armed al-shabab fighters on pickup trucks prepare to travel into the city, just outside Mogadishu, in Somalia. U.S. military forces targeted the Islamic extremist al-Shabab network in an operation on September 1, the Pentagon said.
AP / Farah Abdi Warsameh
The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Godane was killed during a military airstrike in Somalia this week.
"Godane's removal is a major symbolic and operational loss to the largest al-Qaida affiliate in Africa and reflects years of painstaking work by our intelligence, military and law enforcement professionals," the White House said in a statement by the Press Secretary.
Earlier this week, U.S. officials said that a military drone launched Hellfire missiles at at least two vehicles in southern Somalia. Six people were reported to have been killed in the strike on two vehicles in the south of the country, including Godane.
The Pentagon released a statement confirming Godane's death.
"The U.S. military undertook operations against Godane on Sept. 1, which led to his death," said Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby. "Removing Godane from the battlefield is a major symbolic and operational loss to al-Shabaab. The United States works in coordination with its friends, allies and partners to counter the regional and global threats posed by violent extremist organizations."
Al-Shabaab is the terrorist organization that took credit for the attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, which left 67 dead and nearly 200 injured.
A woman and children hide inside the Westgate Mall during the attack on Sept. 21, 2013.
AP Photo/The New York Times, Tyler Hicks
LINK: The U.S. Has Launched Airstrikes Against Al-Shabaab In Somalia
from BuzzFeed - Breaking http://ift.tt/WlGTlQ
No comments:
Post a Comment