Senior Al-Shabaab leader in Mogadishu felled by security forces

Somali security forces Thursday morning killed a senior Al-Shabaab member in Hilwa district of Mogadishu, the regional government spokesman has confirmed.

Banaadir region spokesman Abditiftah Halane said in a Facebook post security forces cornered the militant following a tip off in the wee hours of the morning.

Halane identified the man as Jafar. Jafar is said to have been the head of Al-Shabaab in Suqahola in the northern side of Mogadishu.

Security forces launched a swoop in a separate operation the area nabbing over 30 people. The killing of the Al-Shabaab leader comes barely a week after a deadly attack near Wehliye hotel in Mogadishu which claimed about 15 lives.