Kenya attacks al-Shabaab from the air, high-level terrorist reported dead

The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabaab could face a major setback after an airstrike killed its head of intelligence, according to Kenyan military officials.

Kenya’s military spokesman, Col. David Obonyo, said the attack took place 10 days ago when Mahad Karate went to Nadris camp to preside over the graduation of some 80 recruits into Amniyat, the intelligence wing of al-Shabaab. The attack also killed 10 midlevel al-Shabaab members and 42 recruits.

Al-Shabaab denied the attack and called it an attempt by the Kenyan military to cover up its losses.

“The claims by Kenyan government that it killed what they called the al-Shabaab intelligence chief is a mere fabrication,” the al-Shabaab radio station Andalus stated.

Obonyo said Amniyat led a deadly raid on a Kenyan military camp in southern Somalia last month, killing more than 100 soldiers. The group also claimed responsibility for an April attack on Kenya’s Garissa University that left more than 140 dead. Following the attack, the U.S. State Department branded Karate a terrorist and placed a $5 million bounty on him.

“Al-Shabaab denied it, but if it ends up being true, it’s going to be a short-term setback for the group,” said Katherine Zimmerman, senior analyst with the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute. “The issue is it’s not going to be a knockout blow.”

The East African al-Qaeda affiliate is operating an insurgency against Somalia’s weak government. The group took responsibility for a plane explosion in Mogadishu’s international airport earlier this month. Al-Shabaab’s attacks have extended into bordering Kenya and Ethiopia over the past year. Ethiopia has been successful in arming against more attacks from the group, but Kenya remains a vulnerable target.

“It appears to now be looking to provoke the Kenyan government to take a force of action that alienates the Somali community within Kenya that would provide a significant recruiting base for al-Shabaab,” Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman said the extremist group lacks the power to overthrow the Somali government or take over Kenyan territory, but it still remains a growing threat in need of a viable solution.

“The problem is there needs to be a political resolution and more progress on the political side,” said David Shinn, American diplomat and adjunct professor at George Washington University. “Until you have that, you’re not going to totally eliminate al-Shabaab.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.