Somalia says a top al-Shabab extremist leader is killed

By OMAR FARUK
Associated Press

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somali authorities say a top leader of the al-Shabab extremist group has been killed in a joint operation by the Somali National Army and international partner forces. Abdullahi Nadir had a $3 million bounty on his head by the United States and the Somali government described him as “one of the most important members of al-Shabab.” The government said Nadir had been in position to succeed the current al-Shabab leader. Somalia’s president recently declared “total war” against al-Shabab, which numbers thousands of fighters and controls large parts of southern and central Somalia.