Pentagon officials are claiming that a new airstrike against Somalia today killed at least three people, including “al-Shabaab leader” Hassan Ali Dhoore. Dhoore’s status within the group is unclear, beyond the Pentagon accusing him of a direct role in previous al-Shabaab attacks.
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook claimed al-Shabaab to be “part of al-Qaeda,” by way of an explanation for the legal basis under which the Pentagon keeps attacking them in Somalia, adding that Dhoore was believed to be plotting attacks against US citizens.
Absent from the comments was any evidence for their assertions, which isn’t uncommon for the Pentagon with its assorted attacks abroad. This was the second strike in Somalia this month, after a previous one killed over 100 al-Shabaab fighters.
Al-Shabaab has lost ground in southern Somalia in recent weeks, and has been seen moving further north, clashing with local forces in autonomous states along the coast.