U.S. Africa Command officials released the identity of the senior al-Shabaab leader killed in an August 25 airstrike in Somalia as the terrorist known as Abdulqadir Commandos. 

The al-Shabaab leader was killed in the airstrike near Saakow, Somalia. He held numerous positions within the al-Shabaab terrorist organization, including recently serving as a senior al-Shabaab commander. 

“Operations such as this strike at the heart of al-Shabaab and are critical to degrading their ability to spread chaos and violence in Somalia and beyond,” said U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command. “We will continue to work with our Somali partners to keep the pressure on these terrorists.”

Since January, U.S. Africa Command has conducted 46 airstrikes to degrade the al-Shabaab network.  

U.S. Africa Command provides support for operations and trains, advises, assists and accompanies Somali security forces to help build defense capacity. 

“We continue to sharpen our focus on this dangerous enemy,” Townsend said. “With our Somali partners, we continue to weaken the al-Shabaab network by removing key leaders from its ranks. Doing so makes Somalia and America safer.”

In 2020, U.S. Africa Command in partnership with the Federal Government of Somalia has successfully removed several key al-Shabaab leaders to include Bashir Mohamed Mahamoud, aka Bashir Qoorgaab, Yusif Jiis, and most recently Abdulqadir Commandos—via precision airstrikes. 

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