Drone Reportedly Kills Al-Shabab Bomb Expert

Attack shows US increasingly worried about Somali militants
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 28, 2013 4:19 PM CDT
Drone Reportedly Kills Al-Shabab Bomb Expert
This undated file photo shows an unmanned drone used to patrol the US-Canadian border.   (AP Photo/U.S. Customs and Border Protection, File)

A United States military strike hit a vehicle carrying senior members of an al-Qaida-linked militant group in Somalia today, killing at least two people. An al-Shabab member who gave his name as Abu Mohamed said one of those killed was al-Shabab's top explosives expert, known as Anta. He said a drone was fired at the car in Somalia's Middle Juba region.

Two US officials confirmed for CNN that the strike was carried out by drones, and that one of those killed was "a person of interest we had been tracking." The strike is the latest sign that Western powers place increasing importance on counterterrorism operations in the Horn of Africa, particularly in Somalia. (More Somalia stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X