Ahmed Maeleninine, an Omani-born leader of Islamic State, was killed in U.S. airstrikes against the terror group in Somalia earlier this month, officials of the Puntland region said Wednesday.
Maeleninine was the main target of the Feb. 1 airstrike against Islamic State hideouts in the semi-autonomous region of northern Somalia.
In an interview with VOA Somali, the Puntland state minister for presidency, Abdifitah Mohamed Abdinur, said Somalia and its international security partners had been watching Maeleninine’s movements in the region.
“He was an Omani-born man in his 40s who was wanted for international crimes and his movements and activities have been followed at least for the last two years, as he was hiding in the mountainous area of Puntland,” Abdinur said. “He was a thorn removed from the flesh of Somalis and the world population, and he eventually tasted what he deserved.”
The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed late Tuesday that Maeleninine and 13 other operatives linked to the Islamic State — also known as IS, ISIL or Daesh — were killed in the Feb. 1 operation, which it said was run in coordination with the Somali government.
In a statement, AFRICOM described Maeleninine as a "recruiter, financier, and external operations leader responsible for the deployment of jihadists into the United States and across Europe."
Abdinur said Puntland officials are still collecting the names and nationalities of the other 13 IS figures killed and will share them with the media when their identities are confirmed.
Assessing the success of the U.S. strikes was delayed due to the location of the targets and the terrain — a series of cave complexes in the Cal Miskaad area of Somalia's Golis Mountains.
At the time, a Somalia commander told VOA the U.S. strikes had targeted at least 10 locations.
Residents in Qandala, a small town in Puntland’s Bari region, not far from the site of the attacks, told VOA that they heard at least seven explosions and saw plumes of smoke and flames.
IS has increased its presence in Somalia over the past several years, while IS-Somalia has become a key cog in the IS financial network, funneling money to affiliates in Afghanistan and elsewhere in Africa.
The Somali branch has simultaneously become more influential under the leadership of Abdulkadir Mumin, a former militant with al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab, who is thought to head IS's directorate of provinces, overseeing the terror group's affiliates in Africa.
Some U.S. officials worry Mumin has risen even higher, perhaps acting as Islamic State's top emir. Others disagree, but there is consensus that Mumin is nonetheless a pivotal figure.
Harun Maruf and Fadumo Jama contributed to this report.
