Somalia: Al-Shabab chief finance controller killed in ambush

Image

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The African Union force in Somalia says it has killed a "chief finance controller" for the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab extremist group.

The AU force in a series of tweets on Thursday says the commander, the head of the tax collection in Lower Shabelle region, was killed after an ambush on Monday on an al-Shabaab meeting in Bariire area, about 60 kilometres south of Mogadishu.

The extremists bring in funding by taxing the communities they control.

The AU force says another seven al-Shabaab fighters were killed on Sunday when their attack on a forward operating base was "botched."

The multinational force in the coming years is expected to draw down and hand over responsibility for Somalia's security to the country's military.

Al-Shabaab holds rural parts of southern and central Somalia and continues to target the capital with high-profile attacks.

Related Articles

Bangladeshi ship crew abducted by Somali pirates, arrive in Dhaka

Somali pirates freed the MV Abdullah after its Bangladeshi owners, KSRM Group, paid a hefty ransom that was air-dropped over the vessel in sackloads of US dollars. H

  • Somalia

    15-05-2024

  • 04:39PM

The grand return of James Swan to Somalia

UNSOM has been helping the country to stabilise for the last 16 years but Mogadishu is calling for its exit as local forces take over security responsibilities of the country.

  • Somalia

    15-05-2024

  • 12:45PM