US drone attack targets Somali militant commander

A US military airstrike in Somalia has targeted a senior commander of the al-Shabab militant group, says the Pentagon.

According to Press TV, the Pentagon on Wednesday added, however, that it could not yet confirm if Abdullahi Haji Daud, the former head of the group's intelligence and a key figure in al-Shabab’s regional attacks, was killed in the Friday attack.

"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," said Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook, adding that the Pentagon was still assessing the results of the strike.

This is while Somali government forces said Wednesday that they had killed the head of the intelligence unit in al-Shabab militant group during a cleanup operation in the troubled Horn of Africa country.

Abdifatah Omar, the spokesman for Mogadishu municipality, said that intelligence agents had killed the man, only identified by the first name Daud.

Omar did not provide any information when the operation was carried out.

ME