A U.S. drone strike targeted the leader of an Islamic terrorist group in Somalia on Monday.
Pentagon officials confirmed the U.S. targeted the head of Al-Shabaab, a Al-Qaeda related group that had been fighting against the Somalia government.
“We are assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information as and when appropriate,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said.
Somali officials say that Ahmed Abdi Godane, the leader of al-Shabaab, might have been killed in the strike and they’re working to confirm his death. The air strike came after al-Shabaab attacked a high security prison in an attempt to free several terrorists. All terrorists were reported killed in the assault along with three government soldiers and two civilians.
The U.S. has periodically carried out air strikes in Somalia against terrorist headquarters and training centers.
Al-Shabaab is mostly active in rural areas of the country after losing control of major cities in 2011 after an offensive from Somali and African Union forces.
The Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram has made another deadly attack on a Christian church in Nigeria.
The terrorists bombed Saint Charles Catholic Church in Kano, Nigeria on Sunday, killing at least 5 people and wounding 8 others. The bombing happened shortly after the ending of Sunday mass as the crowd was beginning to leave the building. Police estimate the weapon was an IED thrown from across the road.
The attack was one of two attempted in Kano on Sunday. A woman wearing a homicide bomb vest was surrounded and isolated by police, detonating her device where she could not cause damage. Five officers were slightly wounded when she detonated the device.
In a surprising show of support to the Christian community of Kano, Muslim officials cancelled the city’s celebrating of the Eid festival marking the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan.
Government officials say that Boko Haram has started receiving weapons and training from other al-Qaeda related groups like Al-Shabab in Somalia.
The al-Shabab terrorist organization has stepped up a campaign against Christians with their latest effort focusing on the very public execution of a Christian woman.
Sufia, a Christian woman living in Mogadishu, was inside her home when a group of terrorists stormed inside, drug her into the street, beat her and then shot her point blank while friends, family and neighbors tried to save her.
The terrorists shouted as they were committing the murder that Sufia had been converting Muslims to Christianity. The woman’s family says she was not doing any evangelizing in their community.
The government says this is the third targeted murder of Christians this month by the Islamic terrorist outfit.
According to the watchdog group Open Doors, Somalia is the second most oppressive country for Christians behind North Korea.
The killing comes on the heels of the government driving the terrorist group out of a previous stronghold in the city of Eyn.
The al-Qaeda related terror group al-Shabab ambushed and killed two top Islamists in Somalia after the duo had a falling out with al-Shabab leadership.
Omar Hammami, known as al-Amriki, and Osama al-Britani were killed in a village southwest of the capital Mogadishu. Al-Britani was a British citizen and al-Amriki was an American. Continue reading →
Over 160 Somali religious scholars have declared a fatwa against the al-Qaeda related terrorist group al-Shabab. The group said that al-Shabab has no place as a part of Islam.
Al-Shabab is in control of most of the rural areas of Somalia although government and African Union forces have driven the terror group out of the cities. Continue reading →
After 22 years of attempting to help the civilians in war-torn Somalia, the humanitarian group Doctors without Borders is pulling out all of their staff and closing all programs in the country.
The group says they are leaving because of “extreme attacks on its staff”. It said terrorists and even some civilian leaders “support, tolerate or condone the killing, assaulting, and abducting of humanitarian aid workers.” Continue reading →
Five people have been confirmed dead with the death toll likely to rise after Islamic terrorists conducted a homicide bombing raid on African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu, Somalia. Continue reading →
Somalian intelligence officials confirmed that one of the leaders of the Islamic terrorist group Al-Shabab is in custody and is answering questions.
Officials took Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys to a government intelligence base after he either surrendered or defected to the government’s forces. Local officials say that he was fleeing in-fighting among the terrorist group that has caused significant fractures in the terror group’s command structure. Continue reading →
The al-Qaeda related terrorist group al-Shabab is starting to show signs of breaking apart.
A major battle between two factions of the group took place in Brava on Thursday killing six militants. Officials believe this to be the first time since the terrorist group formed in 2006 that divisions have been seen within the ranks. Continue reading →
The Islamic terrorist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for an attack on the UN Offices in Mogadishu, Somalia, killing at least 15.
A witness told the BBC that a homicide bomber drove a car to the entrance of the UN compound and detonated his explosives. Four gunmen then ran through the opening in the wall and began to fire. Continue reading →
