SOMALIA

Pentagon: We Killed an al-Shabaab Leader

Abdullahi Haji Da’ud “removed” from terror network.

U.S. forces carried out an airstrike in southern Somalia that killed al-Shabaab senior military commander Abdullahi Haji Da’ud, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said the attack, which was launched last Friday, removed “one of al-Shabaab’s most senior military planners” who “has been responsible for the loss of many innocent lives through attacks he has planned and carried out. We are confident that the removal from the terrorist network of this experienced al-Shabaab commander with extensive operational experience will disrupt near-term attack planning, potentially saving many innocent lives.”