Somalia’s al-Qaeda linked al-Shabab militants have killed a former top leader of British national in a dawn raid on his hideout.
British citizen of Pakistani origin Osama al-Britani is reported to have been killed by the militant group in an early morning attack in a village southwest of the capital city of Mogadishu.
According to reports, al-Britani has been in hiding for several months after breaking away from al-Shabaab organization.
British officials said they were aware of the militant’s presence in Somalia for some time but would not confirm either his real name or his death.
“We are aware of reports of the death of a British national in Somalia and are looking into this,” a Foreign Office spokesman said.
According to witness account, an American militant has also been killed by the group in a shootout with his former al-Shabaab comrades.
Alabama-born Omar Hammami, known as al-Amriki was one of the prominent foreigners fighting in the African country. The US State Department had offered a £3.16 million bounty for his capture.
Somalia did not have an effective central government from 1991 until August 2012. In September 2012, MPs meeting in Mogadishu elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the new president of Somalia with a big majority.
The government in Mogadishu has been battling al-Shabab for the past six years and is propped up by a 17,000-strong African Union force from countries including, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, and Djibouti.
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