News Manager
Milforums News Bot
By Feisal Omar and Abdi Sheikh MOGADISHU (Reuters) - The Somali Islamist militant group al Shabaab confirmed on Saturday that its leader Ahmed Godane had been killed in a U.S. Western governments and neighboring countries want to neutralize a group that they say has exploited Somalia's chaos to attract jihadists and train them to fight. In a statement, al Shabaab reaffirmed its affiliation to al Qaeda, and named its new leader as Sheikh Ahmad Umar Abu Ubaidah, warning its enemies to "expect only that which will cause you great distress". Little is known of al Shabaab's new leader, but a local elder who asked not be named said he had joined al Shabaab in 2006 and, like Godane, hailed from the Dir clan.Read more...