US confirms al- Shabab leader's death

Ahmed Abdi Godane, a founder of Somalia's al -
Shabab group, was killed in a US air strike this
week , Pentagon says.
The United States has confirmed that Ahmed Abdi
Godane, a founder of Somalia' s al -Shabab group,
was killed in a US air strike this week .
" We have confirmed that Ahmed Godane, the co-
founder of al -Shabab , has been killed ," the Pentagon
press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a
statement on Friday .
On Tuesday at least six people were killed as the US
hit a convoy of senior al -Shabab leaders . Since then
the US was assessing the results to see who died.
The attack targeted vehicles and encampment near
Barawe, the armed group' s base of operations.
The US said the targets were senior commanders of
al - Shabab , including Godane, also known as Abu
Zubeyr .
Confirming Godane's death on Friday , the US
statement called it a " major symbolic and operational
loss" for the al - Qaeda- affiliated organisation.
The US State Department has listed Godane as one
of the world ' s eight top "terror" fugitives and
analysts say his death would marks a serious
setback for al - Shabab .
Last October, US special operations forces launched
an attack on a house in Barawe against another top
al - Shabab commander but were forced to withdraw
without killing their target.
Al- Shabab fighters are fighting to overthrow the
Somali government, regularly launching attacks
against state targets and in neighbouring countries
that contribute to the African Union force.
On Wednesday the Somali government offered an
amnesty to al - Shabab fighters, giving them 45 days
to take the offer following the US air strike on
Godane.