Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The United States has killed a leading fighter of Al Qaida’s Al Shabab in Somalia.

The Defense Department said a U.S. air strike killed Tahlil Abdul Shakour in Somalia on Dec. 29. The Pentagon said Abdul Shakour served as intelligence and security chief for Shabab, which also operates in neighboring Kenya.

“His death will significantly impact Al Shabab’s ability to conduct attacks against the government of the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Somali people, and U.S. allies and interests in the region,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

In a statement on Dec. 30, Kirby did not provide details of the attack, conducted by a U.S. combat unmanned aerial vehicle. He said this marked the latest in a series of attacks on the Shabab leadership.

Abdul Shakour, responsible for suicide operations, was said to have been killed in a U.S. air strike near Saakow. Officials said a Predator UAV fired several AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles toward Abdul Shakour.

“Working from actionable intelligence, U.S. forces struck a vehicle carrying Tahlil with several Hellfire missiles,” the Pentagon said.

  U.S. drone strike kills top Shabab fighter in Somalia, WorldTribune.com