US airstrike kills Al-Shabab leader, Somalia says

A U.S. airstrike killed the intelligence chief of Somali armed group Al-Shabab, Somalia's intelligence service said Tuesday.

Abdishakur is the name of the slain leader, who is also known as Tahlil, a statement from the spy agency said, adding that the operation also killed two other Al-Shabab fighters.

The Pentagon said the airstrike took place Monday in the vicinity of Saakow, Somalia. The statement from the Pentagon provided no additional details, other than saying it did not believe the attack caused any civilian or bystander casualties.

A senior defense official said the strike did not target Ahmad Umar, who took over as the top leader of Al-Shabab when its previous leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Somalia on Sept. 1. 

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details of the attack by name.

Al-Shabab is linked to the Al-Qaeda network and wants to run Somalia by its own interpretation of Shariah law. 

African Union troops supporting Somalia's weak army have pushed Al-Shabab from major strongholds, including the capital Mogadishu in 2011. However, Al-Shabab fighters still carry out attacks in Somalia's capital and in neighboring countries that have contributed troops to the African Union Mission to Somalia.

On Christmas Day, Al-Shabab gunmen attacked the main African Union base in Mogadishu, which hosts U.N. offices and embassies.

Another Al-Shabab leader, Zakariya Ismail Hersi, who had a $3 million bounty on his head, surrendered to Somali authorities three days ago.

The Associated Press