Al-Shabaab - Terror Group in Somalia

A senior top Al-Shabaab commander was gunned down at close range at Somalia’s southern port of Kismayo on Saturday the 19th, sources say. Reports say that Sheikh Daud Ali Hassan was reportedly shot several times on the head and the chest by unidentified gunmen within the region regarded by many as an Al-Shabaab stronghold. Hizbul Islam denied having a hand in the killing, but said it would step up attacks on Dhobley after a raid on Friday night in which it said it killed a number of Al-Shabaab militants.

But the Al-Qaeda affiliated group said that it treats the incident as a planned assassination. Al-Shabbab has arrested many suspects in connection with the incident and the investigation is still ongoing. Hassan had led the Al-Shabaab fighters in the war against their rival groups in the border town of Dhobley, near Kenya.

Al-Shabaab (The Youth) and Hizbul Islam (Party of Islam) have been involved in bloody conflict over the control of southern regions including the port city of Kismayo. Despite their conflict, the two groups are jointly involved in the fight against the embattled Western-backed Somali government and African Union troops in the restive capital, Mogadishu.

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