Senior al-Shabaab leader, 10 terrorists killed in US airstrikes in Somalia

US forces, in collaboration with the Somali army, killed 10 al-Shabab terrorists in southern Somalia, US African Command (Africom) said, also confirming the earlier killing of senior terror outfit leader Mohamed Mire in a separate operation in the same region of Jubaland state.

Ten al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists from the al-Shabab group were killed in an air raid requested by the Somali government in the Beer Xaani village, 35 kilometers (21 miles) northwest of the coastal town of Kismayo in Jubaland, Africom said in a statement late Tuesday.

“At the request of (the) Government of Somalia, US Africa Command conducted a collective self-defense airstrike against al-Shabaab on Dec. 31, 2024,” it said.

In addition to the airstrike, US troops assisted Somali forces by evacuating soldiers who had been attacked while fighting the terrorist group.

In an earlier statement on Monday, Africom stated that senior al-Shabaab leader Mohamed Mire, also known as Abu Abdirahman, who was responsible for al-Shabaab’s regional governance in Somalia for the last 15 years, was also killed in another airstrike on Dec. 24.

In coordination with the Somali government, US Africa Command carried out a precision airstrike about 10 kilometers southwest of Quyno Barrow, killing Mire, the statement said.

Mire was designated a global terrorist by the US Department of State as of 2022.

“As our national security strategy outlines, America remains steadfast in countering the evolving threats of terrorism,” said Africom Commander Gen. Michael Langley.

Last year, he added, the Global Terrorism Index highlighted that terrorist organizations remain a serious global threat, and al-Shabaab terrorists “are some of these threats, and we partner with like-minded nations in the region to combat them and other malign actors. Uniting against these transnational threats promotes regional security, stability, and prosperity.”