MOGADISHU, Dec 22 (Reuters) – The leader of a Somali Shabaab faction responsible for an attack that killed three Americans in 2020 in Kenya was killed during a joint operation by Somali and U.S. forces, said Somali Information Minister Daud Aweis.
The minister specified Thursday evening on the X platform (formerly Twitter) that he had received confirmation that Maalim Ayman had been killed on December 17.
The commander of the Islamist group Chebab was “responsible for planning several deadly terrorist attacks in Somalia and neighboring countries”, added Daud Aweis.
The US Africa Command (Africom) confirmed it carried out an airstrike on December 17 near the town of Jilib in southern Somalia, but said it had not yet had confirmation of the identity of the attacker. target.
Maalim Ayman is on the US State Department’s wanted list, which is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to her arrest. (Written by Abdi Sheikh, with George Obulutsa in Nairobi and Phil Stewart in Washington; French version Tangi Salaün, edited by Blandine Hénault)
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