Al Shabab Terror Leader Ahmed Abdi Godane Killed in U.S. Strike
Ahmed Abdi Godane — the leader of al Shabab, the Islamic militant organization behind the siege on a mall in Kenya last year — was killed in a U.S. military strike earlier this week, an al Shabab source told NBC News on Friday.
The Pentagon confirmed the death later in the day.
“Removing Godane from the battlefield is a major symbolic and operational loss to al Shabab,” said Rear Adm. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman. “The United States works in coordination with its friends, allies and partners to counter the regional and global threats posed by violent extremist organizations.”
A U.S. security official also told NBC News earlier in the week that Shabab had been killed by the strike on Monday. U.S. officials had said publicly after the strike that Godane was targeted, but that they were not sure whether he was dead.
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