Senior al-Shabaab operative killed in Somalia military operation

​​​​​​​By Mohamed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA)- Somalia’s Defense Ministry said a military operation against the al-Shabaab terror group killed a senior operative on Sunday.

The operation in the area of Warta Eey Duure, 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of the provincial capital of Hudur in South West state, killed Abdullahi Abukar Ali, who served as the group’s head of finance and was responsible for managing funds extorted from civilians and coordinating the recruitment of child soldiers.

It said he was a key operative who had long operated in Bakool under the group’s control and was among the “most sought-after figures in the group.”

“This precision operation has eliminated a significant threat and dealt a major blow to Al-Shabaab’s operational network in the region,” it said in a statement.

Hudur, the provincial capital of Bakol, is 374 kilometers (232 miles) from the national capital of Mogadishu.

The Somali National Army (SNA), backed by the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), has intensified operations against the al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group al-Shabaab in recent weeks.

More than 100 terrorists were killed and several captured after a week-long operation against the group in the Lower Shabelle region last Friday, liberating the strategic town of Bariire, 73 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu.

Al-Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency against the Somali government for more than 16 years, regularly targets security forces, government officials and civilians.