The Al Shabaab fighters deputy commander and head of intelligence Mahad Mohammed Karatey alias Mahad Karatey has been killed.Karatey and 10 other middle level commanders were killed in a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) airstrike on Nadaris camp in Somalia.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Defence, Karatey had gone to preside over the pass out parade of an estimated 80 Alamanyat recruits who had completed their training and were due for deployment to carry out more terrorist attacks.
The KDF strike happened on February 8th, 2016.
The Alamanyat is the Al Shabaab intelligence wing that composes of suicide bombers, assassins, explosives experts and information gatherers.
The killing of the overall commander is a major blow to the terrorist group.
“It is believed Karatey played a major role in the recent attack on KDF troops in El Adde by the deployment of his suicide bombers,” read the statement.
An unknown number of soldiers were killed following the January 15th 2016 early morning Al Shabaab attack at the Somali National Army (SNA) camp, which is in near to the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) camp at Elade in Somalia.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Defence, the SNA camp was over run and the KDF troops under AMISOM counter-attacked in support of SNA.
President Uhuru Kenyatta said Kenya will continue to stand with the International Community to free Somalia from the oppression of terrorist groups.
The Head of State noted that Kenya’s efforts as well as those of other AMISOM peacekeepers who have also lost their lives had enabled Somalia to resume normal operations.
“We have all contributed to global peace and security, Al Shabaab aims to destroy the precious freedoms we have fought so much to win, we will not rest until terror is eliminated from the region,” he said.