Somalia Calls One Of The Supreme Leaders Of Milits Al Shabab Abdullahi Nadir Died In Joint Military Operations

Illustration of the handover of the Al Shabab militant forces to the joint army of the frican Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in Garsale. (Wikimedia Commons /AMISOM Public Information)

JAKARTA - A supreme leader of the militant group Al Shabab, Abdullahi Nadir, was killed in a joint military operation in Somalia that was carried out last weekend.

Somalia's Ministry of Information said Nadir was killed in the village of Haramka, in the Central Juba region, on Saturday during operations by Somalia's National Army and unnamed international security partners.

The United States appreciates its 3 million dollars head or around IDR 45,856,050,000, which the Somali government described as "one of the most important members of Al Shabab".

Nadir was seen close to former leader Al Shabab, Ahmed Abdi Godane, who was killed in the US airstrikes in 2014, and with current leader Ahmed Diriye. The government said he was next in line to lead the group.

"The death is a thorn removed from the Somali people, and the Somali people will be released from their mistakes and horrific acts," the information ministry said.

Dozens of Al Shabab militants were also killed on weekends, while trying to blow up a well in the village of Tarashanta, between Baladwayne and Halgan in Hiran Province, according to residents.

Somalia's security forces said they had made a profit on the battlefield in recent weeks, while fighting alongside local martial arts groups.

However, Al Shabab has continued to carry out deadly attacks over the past few weeks, burning houses, destroying wells and beheading civilians in other parts of central and southern Somalia, residents said.

The conflict between the government and Al Shabab linked to Al Qaeda has killed thousands since 2006.