Mogadishu – The Somali National Army (SNA) said on Sunday it had killed a senior Al-Shabaab commander in a planned operation in the Warta Eey Duure area, about 30 kilometers north of Xudur town in the Bakool region.
The militant, identified as Abdullahi Abuukar Ali, was described by the military as one of the group’s top regional leaders.
According to the SNA, he served as Al-Shabaab’s head of finance in Bakool and was also responsible for forcibly recruiting child soldiers into the group’s ranks.
The operation, which was carried out around 7:00 am local time, specifically targeted an Al-Shabaab network operating in the area, the army said in a statement.
The military added that the raid was part of ongoing offensives aimed at dismantling Al-Shabaab’s command structure and operational capacity in southern and central Somalia.
Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, continues to carry out deadly attacks despite sustained military pressure from Somali forces and allied partners.
