Al Shabaab suffers blow as KDF kills terror kingpin behind El Adde attack

An Al Shabaab commander suspected to have played a major role in the deadly attack on a Kenyan military camp has been killed. The US government had placed a Sh500 million bounty on his head.

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) announced yesterday that Mahad Mohammed Karatey alias Mahat Karatey, Al Shabaab's deputy commander was killed in an airstrike on the militia's Nadris camp on February 8.

KDF spokesman David Obonyo said the terrorist was killed together with ten middle-level commanders and 42 recruits during the airstrike.

Col Obonyo said Karatey had gone to the camp to preside over the graduation of an estimated 80 Alamnyat recruits who had completed their training and were due for deployment to carry out more terror attacks.

"It is confirmed that 42 recruits were also killed while many others sustained injuries," Obonyo said.

He said Karatey is suspected to have deployed suicide bombers during the January 15 El Adde attack in which scores of Kenyan soldiers were killed.

Alamnyat, Al Shabaab's intelligence wing, comprises suicide bombers, assassins, explosive experts and information gatherers.

Kenya hailed Karatey's killing, terming it a major blow to the Islamist group.

Karatey was placed on the US State Department's wanted terrorist list in April 2015 after the Garissa attack.

"Karatey, also known as Abdirahman Mohamed Warsame, played a key role in the Alamnyat, the wing of the Shabaab responsible for assassinations and the April 2, 2015 attack on Garissa University College," the US Rewards for Justice wanted notice reads.

It adds: "The Shabaab's intelligence wing is involved in the execution of suicide attacks and assassinations in Somalia, Kenya and other countries in the region, and provides logistics and support for Shabaab terrorist operations throughout the Horn of Africa."