U.S. forces conducted an airstrike in Somalia last week targeting Abdullahi Haji Da'ud, a senior military commander for al Shabaab, the Pentagon announced.
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook confirmed the airstrike, which was carried out last Friday in south-central Somalia, in a statement Wednesday. Da'ud served as a senior military planner for al Shabaab, the al Qaeda affiliate in Somalia, and helped coordinate the terror group’s militia attacks in Somalia, Kenya, and Uganda.
The Defense Department is still assessing the results of the operation targeting Da'ud and will provide further details in the future, the spokesman said.
"He held several positions of authority within the terrorist organization over the years, including head of the Amniyat, al Shabaab’s Security and Intelligence Branch," Cook said in the statement.
"Da'ud has been responsible for the loss of many innocent lives through attacks he has planned and carried out. We are confident that the removal from the terrorist network of this experienced al Shabaab commander with extensive operational experience will disrupt near-term attack planning, potentially saving many innocent lives."
"U.S. forces remain committed to supporting the Federal Government of Somalia, the Somali National Army, and our African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) partners in defeating al Shabaab and establishing a safe and secure environment in Somalia," Cook further stated.
A similar U.S. airstrike earlier this year targeted al Shabaab senior leader Hassan Ali Dhoore, the Pentagon announced in April. The leader is believed to have been killed in the strike.
The announcement Wednesday came just as al Shabaab claimed responsibility for a car bomb and shooting attack that killed at least 10 people near a hotel popular with officials and politicians in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
"We targeted the members of the apostate government. ... We killed many of them inside and we shall give details later. Our mujahideen are on the top floor of the hotel building," Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, a spokesman for al Shabaab’s military, told Reuters.