U.S State Department has designated two senior Al-Shabaab members into the Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
The two; Abdullahi Osman Mohamed, aka “Engineer Ismail,” and Maalim Ayman hold senior positions in the Al Qaeda affiliated militant group.
Abdullahi Ismail” is the group senior advisor, media head, and explosives expert while Maalim is the leader of Jaysh Ayman, an al-Shabab unit conducting attacks and operations in Kenya and Somalia responsible for preparing the January 2020 attack on Camp Simba in Manda Bay, Kenya.
“ Today’s designations notify the U.S. public and the international community that Abdullahi Osman Mohamed and Maalim Ayman are leaders of a terrorist organization. Terrorist designations expose and isolate entities and individuals, and deny them access to the U.S. financial system.”
It further said the group threatens the peace, security, and stability of Somalia, as well as Kenya, and therefore the U.S. Government is committed to disrupting the illicit financing methods of al-Shabaab, limiting its ability to conduct further attacks against civilians, and supporting the Federal Government of Somalia in disrupting terrorism finance.
“Addressing the al-Shabaab threat will require working closely with our partners to degrade the terrorist group’s capacity and operations, combatting its control and influence in East Africa.”
The US State Department of State designated al-Shabaab as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and SDGT in March 2008 and considers the group as one of al-Qa’ida’s most dangerous affiliates.
