Army raid kills al-Shabab leader, 3 associates in Somalia

A raid by Somalia's military has killed a regional leader of the Takfiri al-Shabab terrorist group and three of his comrades in the west of the capital, Mogadishu.

Somalia's information minister said in a statement on Sunday that Lower Shabelle regional leader Moalin Osman Abdi Badil and the three associates were killed on Friday in Bariire village.

There was no immediate confirmation of Badil’s death from the militant group.

The raid came a day after a US soldier was killed while supporting an operation by Somalia's armed forces in the same troubled area.

On April 6, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed declared war on al-Shabab but at the same time offered the militants amnesty. He said the militants who gave up their arms within 60 days would receive jobs and education.

A government statement also on Sunday urged al-Shabab members to lay down their arms. "Leave al-Shabab now," the statement read, adding, "Defect, as many of your brothers are beginning to do."

Somalia's armed forces are under growing pressure to take full responsibility for the security situation in the country as a multinational African Union force prepares to start withdrawing in 2018.

SS