Death of a al-shabaab leaders in southern Somalia

Somalia(MMedia) A United States (US) drone strike killed a British Al-Qaeda official fighting alongside insurgents in Somalia, officials said.

Three missiles fired from an unmanned aerial vehicle hit Bilal al-Berjawi’s car on the outskirts of Mogadishu, according to a statement from the insurgent al-Kataib media foundation late Saturday. Berjawi was a Lebanese and British citizen who grew up in West London and fought in Afghanistan before going to Somalia in 2006.

‘The martyr received what he wished for and what he went out for, as we consider of him and Allah knows him best, when, in the afternoon today, brother Bilal al-Berjawi was exposed to bombing in an outskirt of Mogadishu from a drone that is believed to be American,’ the statement said. ‘He was martyred immediately.’ The strike was confirmed by a US official in Washington. The official asked for anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

‘Good riddance, and (I) hope al-Shabab leadership will come to their senses and cease the hostility in Somalia,’ said Mr Omar Jamal, the first secretary in the Somali mission to the United Nations, in an emailed statement.

Source : AP