According to an official, US and Somali forces kill the Al-Shabaab commander

Senior Al-Shabaab militant leader Maalim Ayman was killed on December 17 in a joint military operation involving Somali and US forces, Somali Minister for Information Daud Aweis said on Friday. Maalim Ayman operated in both Somalia and Kenya.

The most notable attack, according to US officials, was carried out by Ayman on January 5, 2020, at Kenya's Manda Bay Airfield, targeting US and Kenyan personnel.

One soldier and two civilian contractors were among the three American casualties. According to a statement from the US Department of State, two more US service members and one civilian contractor were injured.

A bounty of up to $10 million was offered by the US government in January of this year for "information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of Maalim Ayman."

Al-Shabaab was classified as a terrorist organization in 2010 by a committee of the UN Security Council and by the US in 2008.