The U.S. government revealed the names of five senior al-Shabab officials designated as terrorists and believed to be among the most influential members of the al-Qaeda-affiliated armed group.
The men whose names have been released appear to be relatively unknown, but according to the U.S. statement in mid-October, they are believed to be key decision-makers for al-Shabaab.
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Financial restrictions and sanctions have also been imposed on these leaders and their associates.
Department of State designated the five al-Shabab leaders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended.
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“The United States remains steadfast in our support of East African and African Union-led efforts to counter the threat from al-Shabaab, one of al-Qa’ida’s most dangerous affiliates, which has killed thousands of people, including Americans, in Somalia and across East Africa,” the United States said in a statement.
Here is a brief description provided by the state department about each individual.
Mohamed Mire is a senior al-Shabaab leader in charge of strategic decision-making and heads the group’s interior wing, overseeing many of the group’s activities in Somalia.
Mire is believed to have survived a U.S. airstrike on an in March 2016 that killed over 150 fighters.
Yasir Jiis is an al-Shabaab leader and the commander of the Jabha, the armed wing that conducts attack operations.
Yusuf Ahmed Hajji Nurow, also known as Gees Ade, is the head of al-intelligence Shabaab’s wing, the Amniyat, responsible for executing suicide attacks and assassinations in the region.
Mustaf ‘Ato is a senior Amniyat official in charge of coordinating and carrying out al-Shabaab attacks in Somalia and Kenya. He has assisted in planning attacks on Kenyan targets and U.S. military compounds in Kenya.
Mohamoud Abdi Aden is an al-Shabaab leader who was a member of the cell that planned the 2019 Dusit2 Hotel attack.
There are now over 20 Somalis designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) by the US government.
On 17 October, the U.S. government also sanctioned a group of al-Shabab financial facilitators who acts as the organization’s top negotiators with regional businesses in Somalia.
Abdullahi Jeeri (Jeeri), Khalif Adale (Adale), Hassan Afgooye (Afgooye), Abdikarim Hussein Gagaale (Gagaale), Abdi Samad (Samad), and Abdirahman Nurey (Nurey) have been identified as financial intermediaries with close ties to Al Shabaab leadership.
Mohamed Hussein Salad (Salad), Ahmed Hasan Ali Sulaiman Mataan (Mataan), and Mohamed Ali Badaas (Badaas) are allegedly part of an al-Shabaab smuggling and weapons trafficking network in Yemen.
