The U.S. military conducted an operation in Somalia Friday night against Abdikadir Mohamed Abdikadir, known as “Ikrima,” a top commander in the al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab, but failed to capture him, the Pentagon said Monday.
“While the operation did not result in Ikrima’s capture, U.S. military personnel conducted the operation with unparalleled precision and demonstrated that the United States can put direct pressure on al-Shabaab leadership at any time of our choosing,” Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement.
Ikrima, a Kenyan of Somali origin, is closely associated with now-deceased al-Qaida operatives Harun Fazul and Saleh Nabhan, who played roles in the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya and in the 2002 attacks on a hotel and airline in Mombassa, Kenya, which killed Kenyan and Israeli citizens.
The U.S. military, working in partnership with Somalia’s government, will continue to confront the threat posed by al-Shabaab, Little said.
