Al-Shabab reports that one of its leaders was killed in a drone attack.

The militant organization al-Shabab said that one of its senior leaders, Mohamed Mire, was killed in a drone attack near Kunyo Barrow in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle Region.

Al-Shabab did not specify the timing of the attack but attributed the death to the United States.

AFRICOM, the United States military command in Africa, reported late Thursday that it conducted an airstrike on December 24 against al-Shabab, resulting in the deaths of two terrorists around 10 kilometers southwest of Kunyo Barrow. The AFRICOM statement did not identify the targeted insurgents but said that no bystanders were injured.

The command will persist in evaluating the operation’s outcomes and provide more information as necessary. AFRICOM said, “Specific details regarding the units involved and assets utilized will remain undisclosed to maintain operational security,” confirming that the attack was executed in collaboration with the Somali government.

Somalia’s Ministry of Information published a statement describing the operation as “well-planned” and done in collaboration with foreign partners with whom it had long been seeking Mire.

Recently, Lower Shabelle Region Governor Mohamed Ibrahim Barre informed VOA’s Horn of Africa Service that the operation transpired two days before.

Barre claimed Mire was heading from the settlement of Jilib to Kunyo Barrow when he was targeted outside of the town.

Mire was chief of al-Shabab’s regions department, the terrorist group’s version of an interior ministry. He also held many additional roles inside the organization.

In July, Somalia’s anti-money laundering committee published a sanctions list targeting Mire and seven other al-Shabab leaders.

In October 2022, U.S. authorities classified Mire as a global terrorist, identifying him as a top commander of al-Shabab accountable for the organization’s strategic decision-making and as the director of its interior wing, supervising several actions inside Somalia.

Somalia is vital to the security landscape in East Africa. U.S. Africa Command’s soldiers will continue training, advising, and equipping partner forces to weaken al-Shabaab,” AFRICOM said.