Africa AMU Intelligence

Missile Strike Targets Al-Shabaab Leadership

By William Tucker

Two explosions occurred during a meeting of al-Shabaab leadership in the town of Afgoye. Afgoye is about 20 miles from the capital of Mogadishu and remains under al-Shabaab control despite the militant groups withdrawal from the capital a few months ago. Local residents claim that some rather expensive vehicles were present around a well known compound used by al-Shabaab prior to the explosions. Shortly after, local media was claiming that Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys and Ahmad Godane Abu Zubayr were killed in the blast. Al-Shabaab has just claimed that this is false, but evidence either way hasn’t been presented. The spokesman did say that the group took multiple casualties from the blast and further stated that it originated from a naval vessel in the Indian Ocean. Current speculation on the origin of the missile strike has fallen to the U.S. Navy in the region or a UAV. With Kenyan forces fighting al-Shabaab in southern Somalia and targeted strikes launched by the U.S., the militant group certainly appears to be fighting for its very existence. It should be remembered, however, that militancy in Somalia has a long history and the TFG hasn’t yet proven it is capable of governing the country. That being said, al-Shabaab has found itself at the center of regional attention.

Comments are closed.