NAIROBI: Somali and US troops this week killed a top leader of the Al-Shabab militant group with a $10 million US bounty on his head, Somali Information Minister stated.
The Al-Qaeda-linked militants have led a 16-year insurgency against the government and control swathes of rural areas of Somalia.
Maalim Ayman, leader of the Al-Shabab, was wanted by the US over an assault on an air base in Kenya in January 2020 that left three US citizens dead.
Somali, American Troops Kill Al-Shabab Leader with $10 Million Bounty
Information Minister Daud Aweis said that Maalim Ayman, a senior leader of the group, was confirmed to have been killed in a joint operation by the Somali military with help from US troops on December 17. He added Ayman was responsible for “plotting multiple terrorist assaults in Somalia and nearby nations.
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In January, the United States State Department said Maalim Ayman planned the 2020 assault on the Manda Bay Airfield on Kenya’s northern coast, announcing a reward of up to 10 million US dollars for information that could lead to his arrest.
An African Union troops deployed in Somalia in 2007 with a 6-month mandate but still remains in the country.
