WASHINGTON – The Pentagon says a U.S. drone strike on Friday targeted a senior military commander of al-Shabab in Somalia. U.S. officials say they can't confirm yet if he was killed.
Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook says the strike targeted Abdullahi Haji Da'ud, a key coordinator of al-Shabab attacks in the region. Da'ud also previously served as head of the group's intelligence.
Cook says the U.S. is assessing the results of the strike but believes removing Da'ud from the battlefield will disrupt the group's effort to plan attacks.
The strike comes two months after a similar drone attack in Somalia killed an al-Shabab leader, Hassan Ali Dhoore .
Dhoore helped facilitate a deadly Christmas Day 2014 attack at Mogadishu International Airport and a March 2015 attack at the Maka al-Mukarramah Hotel.
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