US strike kills Somali terror group intel chief

A US airstrike has killed the intelligence chief of Somali terror group al-Shabab.

The slain leader Abdishakur, who is also known as Tahlil, a statement from the spy agency said, adding the operation also killed two other al-Shabab militants.

The Pentagon said the airstrike took place on Monday in the vicinity of Saakow, Somalia , adding it did not believe the attack caused any civilian or bystander casualties.

A senior defence official said the strike did not target Ahmad Umar, who took over as the top leader of al-Shabab when its previous leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane, was killed in a US airstrike in Somalia on September 1.

Al-Shabab is an ultra-conservative Islamic militant group that is linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist network and wants to run Somalia by its strict interpretation of Shariah law.

Despite militants suffering huge losses in recent years, al-Shabab remains a threat.

Its leader Zakariya Ismail Hersi, who had a $3m (€2.5m) bounty on his head, surrendered to Somali authorities this week.