US offers multi-million dollar rewards for information on al-Shabab leaders
The U.S. government is offering new rewards for information on the whereabouts of six leaders of the Somali militant group al-Shabab.
A reward of up to $6 million is being offered for information on al-Shabab’s top leader, Abu Ubaidah. He was named head of al-Shabab in September of last year, after the group’s longtime emir, Ahmed Abdi Godane, was killed in a U.S. drone strike.
Rewards of up to $5 million have been authorized for three other high-ranking leaders – Mahad Karate, Ma’Alim Daud and Hassan Afgooye.
Karate, also known as Abdirahman Mohamed Warsame, allegedly played a key role in the April 2 assault that killed 148 people at Kenya’s Garissa University College.
Daud is said to be responsible for al-Shabab’s operations against the Somali government and Western targets, while Afgooye oversees a fundraising network for al-Shabab activities.
The United States is offering rewards of up to $3 million for information on Maalim Salman and Ahmed Iman Ali. Salman is said to lead al-Shabab’s African foreign terrorist fighters, while Ali has allegedly recruited Kenyan youth and raised funds for the group.
The offers are part of the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice program. According to its website, the program has paid out $125 million to more than 80 people who provided information that prevented international terrorist attacks or helped bring perpetrators of previous attacks to justice.
The U.S. continues to offer rewards for other wanted al-Shabab leaders, including Mukhtar Robow and Abdullahi Yare.
Source: AP
