According to two sources, including an al-Shabab defector, the latest U.S. airstrike targeted the head of external operations for al-Shabab, a militant group in Somalia. The target was identified as Osman Mohamed Abdi, also known as Moallim Osman, and his role was confirmed by the Somali Ministry of Information. Moallim Osman is responsible for bringing foreign fighters into Somalia to support al-Shabab. While the airstrike was intended to eliminate him, he is believed to have survived, according to a spokesperson for U.S. Africa Command.
The operation took place in Jilib, an al-Shabab stronghold located around 385 kilometers southwest of the capital, Mogadishu. U.S. Africa Command conducted a comprehensive assessment and determined that one al-Shabab leader was injured, but no civilians were harmed in the strike. Moallim Osman is a seasoned commander who has held various positions within al-Shabab, including defense chief. He was allegedly involved in planning the group’s deadliest attack on peacekeepers in Somalia, which targeted a Kenyan military base in El Adde in January 2016.
Officials suggest that Moallim Osman’s current responsibilities include overseeing al-Shabab attacks in Kenya, where the group has targeted security forces. He also played a role in al-Shabab’s incursion into eastern Ethiopia in July of the previous year. Meanwhile, Mahad Salad, director of Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency, was in the United States to meet with officials from the Pentagon, CIA, and FBI to discuss security and counterterrorism cooperation between the two countries.
The airstrike against Moallim Osman underscores the ongoing efforts by the U.S. and Somali authorities to target and neutralize high-ranking members of al-Shabab, an extremist organization that continues to pose a significant threat to regional stability and security.
