MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – An Al-Shabaab commander who a $10 million US bounty on the head was killed this week by Somali troops and US forces, the country’s information minister announced.
The commander who was identified as Maalim Ayman, was leader of the Al Shabaab unit Jaysh Ayman. He was wanted by the United States over an attack on an air base in Kenya in January 2020 that left three Americans dead.
He said Ayman was responsible for “planning multiple lethal terrorist attacks in Somalia and nearby countries.”
“Maalim Ayman, a senior leader of Al Shabaab, was confirmed to have been killed in a joint operation by the Somali National Army with assistance from US forces on December 17,” Information Minister Daud Aweis said on X.
Al-Shabab has not commented on the reported killing.
Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice program offered a reward of up to $10 million “for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of Maalim Ayman or any individual who committed, attempted or conspired to commit, or aided or abetted in the commission of the January 5, 2020, terrorist attack on U.S. and Kenyan personnel at the Manda Bay Airfield in Kenya.”
The U.S. accused Ayman of being responsible for preparing the Manda Bay Airfield attack, which killed a U.S. soldier and two U.S. Defense Department contractors. It wounded two other U.S. service members and a third Defense contractor.
The Manda Bay Airfield is part of a Kenyan Defense Forces military base used by U.S. armed forces to provide training and counterterrorism support to East African partners, respond to crises and protect U.S. interests in the region, according to the State Department.
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