The government of Somalia says its armed forces have killed Abdullahi Nadir, one of the co-founders of al-Shabab, in an operation with international partners.
The country’s information ministry confirmed the development in a statement on Sunday.
Al-Shabab, an Arabic word which means ‘youth movement’, is an Islamic fundamentalist insurgent group based in Somalia.
The Somali government said the operation that killed Nadir was conducted on Saturday.
According to the statement, Nadir was al-Shabab’s chief prosecutor and was in line to replace the ailing Ahmed Diriye, the group’s leader.
The government said Nadir’s death is a relief for Somalis.
“His death is a thorn removed from the Somali nation,” the statement reads.
“The government is grateful to the Somali people and international friends whose cooperation facilitated the killing of this leader who was an enemy of the Somali nation.”
In recent weeks, Somali security forces have made gains against the al-Qaeda-linked group while fighting alongside local self-defence groups.