The U.S. military carried out a counterterrorism strike Monday against leaders of the militant group al-Shabab in Somalia, Pentagon officials said, although it was unclear whether the operation was successful.
Journalists in Somalia reported that suspected U.S. drones fired missiles near the port city of Barawe, a stronghold for al-Shabab. In a rare acknowledgment of its clandestine military activities in Somalia, the Pentagon said it had conducted a counterterrorism operation but gave no details.
The Pentagon statement did not say whether the operation was limited to drone strikes or whether U.S. commandos had been present on the ground.
The U.S. government’s Voice of America news service, which broadcasts programs to Somalia, reported that a target of the attack may have been the alleged mastermind of al-Shabab’s attack on an upscale shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, in September 2013. Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr, also known as Godane, has emerged in recent years as the primary leader of al-Shabab and has ties to al-Qaeda.
Voice of America, citing militants and African Union security sources in Somalia, reported that Godane was in the vicinity of the attack, but his fate was unknown. The report could not be independently verified.
