US offers $10 million for information on al-Shabaab leader for role in 2020 attack

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US is offering up to $10 million for information on the leader of an al-Shabaab unit that has conducted terror attacks in Kenya and Somalia, according to the State Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program.

Maalim Ayman, who heads Jaysh Ayman, is accused of having a role in an attack against US personnel in Kenya.

Al-Shabaab terrorists attacked Kenyan and US personnel Jan. 5, 2020, at the Manda Bay Airfield, Kenya.

Two US contractor pilots and a US Army specialist, working as an air controller, were killed while a US contractor and two other service members were injured in the attack.

The Manda Bay facility is a Kenya Defense Forces military base utilized by US armed forces to provide training and counterterrorism support to East African partners, respond to crises and protect US interests in the region.

Ayman was also designated by the State Department as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in November 2020.

The US designated al-Shabaab a foreign terror organization and SDGT in March 2008.