By AFPMore by this AuthorMogadishuThe US military confirmed Monday that it had killed the second-ranking Islamic State leader in Somalia in an air strike. In the current assessment, the US military said the strike killed only Dhuqub and destroyed one vehicle. "Dhuqub was responsible for the daily operations of the extremist group, attack planning and resource procurement," Africom said in a statement. The Islamic State group has a relatively small presence in Somalia, where Al-Shabaab fighters are more powerful and aligned with Al-Qaeda. In late 2018, the US military estimated that there were between 75 and 250 Islamic State fighters in Somalia, compared to 3,000 to 7,000 Shabaab fighters.

Source: Daily Nation April 15, 2019 21:33 UTC