The Pentagon said on Monday a US air strike in Somalia killed a senior leader of Al-Qaeda’s East Africa branch, the Shebab.

The Pentagon said on Monday a US air strike in Somalia killed a senior leader of Al-Qaeda's East Africa branch, the Shebab.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Abdirahman Sandhere was killed along with other two militants in a US air strike last week.

Sandhere, "also known as 'Ukash,' a senior leader of the al Qaeda-affiliated group al-Shebab, is dead as a result of a US military air strike in Somalia undertaken on December 2" he said.

Cook said the removal of Sandhere "is a significant blow to al-Shebab and reflects the painstaking work by our intelligence, military, and law enforcement professionals."

The Shebab is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu, which is protected by 22,000 African Union troops.
The group has lost ground in recent years but remain a threat in both Somalia and neighboring Kenya, where they have carried out a series of deadly attacks.