Senior Al-Shabaab Leader Shot Dead, 8 Al-Shabaab Fighters Killed in Aftermath
Mar 26, 2010
In a rare shooting in the rebels' tightly-controlled port town of Kismayo, unidentified gunmen shot dead a senior Al-Shabaab leader on the evening of Friday, March 19, according to eyewitnesses.
Sheikh Daud Ali Hassan was shot in the head and chest by two gunmen. He died on the spot and the assailants fled the area, according to eyewitness Abdi Said.
Hassan had been leading militants in operations in the border town of Dhobley, waging war against Al-Shabaab's former ally Hizbul Islam.
Fadumo Hussein, another resident in Kismayo, told Tiziano that after the killing, militants conducted house-to-house search operations and arrested three suspects.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Kismayo is a crucial town for the militants as it is next to their main hideout in the mountain town of Kudha. U.S planes have conducted several strikes in the past there, including a 2006 attempt to kill Sheikh Hassan Turki that failed but killed several other people believed to be militants in his organization.
Dahire Alane, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Mogadishu University, says that the killing of Hassan is a big blow to the militants' campaign against Hizbul Islam.
After his killing, residents in Dhobley say an additional eight Al-Shabaab fighters were killed in an ambush led by Hizbul Islam, who briefly managed to seize control of the town but later retreated.
Somalia has been without central government since 1991 after dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown by clan-based militants.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=61a05897-5d4c-46e7-89cb-cd13cdf92321)
Tags:
Al-Shabaab, Hizbul Islam, Islam, Kismayo, MOGADISHU, Sheikh Daud Ali Hassan, Somalia, United States
Add your comment